Onslaught
by TheGreatWhiteNortherner
Summary: Trapped in the Death Game SAO. Kirito is forced to push himself to his limits because every 30 days a new event will occur and threaten the entire populace of Aincrad. Kirito along with 40,000 other players must survive the world and it's events for 5 years to be granted their freedom. Not 100 floors castle Aincrad, Different map for this story will be explained as you read. So AU.
1. First Event Arc: Ch 1

Hello, welcome to my premier story within the fandom of Sword Art Online. I hope you enjoy your time spent. This story is AU so don't expect it to follow cannon at all really. Besides some of the over arching SAO ideas.

Disclaimer:

All characters, settings, etc. that are recognizable are the property of their respective owners. I am not associated with them. I do however own any original characters or ideas etc. that you find within this story. No copyright infringement intended.

‹‹Sword›› game specifics

'thoughts'

"speaking"

Italics or bold are just for emphasis or to make something stand out.

One quick note, Hostile NPC = Mob, Friendly NPC = NPC. Just to differentiate.

* * *

**Onslaught**

_Written by: TheGreatWhiteNortherner_

* * *

_November 6, 2025  
2:00 pm_

'Finally! I was worried school would never end.'

Thought a very excited seventeen year old boy. Kirigaya Kazuto, had just been let out of class and was rushing from his locker to where he kept his small black motorcycle parked. Quickly he donned a tinted black helmet with visor and paced around in front of the bike. His sister didn't have kendo practice so he was her ride home. Thankfully she remembered to come quickly since Kazuto had only reminded her to 1,000 times this morning alone.

They jumped on the bike after she slid her helmet on sped away from their school. Kazuto was in such a large rush to get home because, finally about an hour earlier the first ever VRMMO Sword Art Online, commonly called SAO, had officially launched. He had wanted to skip out on school that day but his aunt would not let him.

Two months prior SAO had conducted a beta test with 2,000 of the overwhelming 500,000 applicants. Kazuto had been one of the lucky ones. Since the end of the beta he had been in a constant state of agitated waiting. As a beta tester he was able to purchase one of the highly sought 40,000 copies of the game that have been shipped.

Kayaba Akihiko, the designer of the Nerve Gear, and Argus the company producing SAO had been under serious pressure to create and release more Nerve Gear's but they had focused instead on the quality of SAO. So only 40,000 Nerve Gear were created prior to today. The Nerve Gear is a large plastic helmet equipped with all manner of microwave powered sensors, it is the conduit that allows people to dive into virtual reality.

Kazuto arrived home at 2:30 pm and without pausing to hold the door for his sister, he had raced to his room and slammed the door shut while stripping his jacket off. Before him on his bed lay his Nerve Gear, he had already updated and prepped everything for this moment. He strapped the helmet into place and laid down on his bed. He smiled to himself and said the now famous initiation command.

"Link Start!"

Kazuto was instantly cut off from the real world. Before he could enter the game a pop up window appeared.

_Welcome back ‹‹Kirito›› do you wish to keep using this name?_

Selecting yes, Kirigaya Kazuto aka Kirito was then confronted with another question.

_To show our thanks for your beta participation, your name, character model, and all your in game contacts can be carried over from the beta. Also, with the new implementation of titles you will be granted the optional title of 'Beta Tester'. Do you Accept?_

'Titles?'

Thought Kirito. While he accepted.

'I don't remember hearing anything about titles, but this is an MMO so it makes sense.'

Without a further thought he dived into the world he missed so much.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

In a swirl of blue pixels, Kirito's avatar is left standing in a giant open cobblestone square. The square is starting to fill up with new players as the game is over an hour into launch and plenty of people were trying to adjust to the virtual world by wandering around the starting spawn or doing the tutorial. Kirito's avatar was carried over from the beta, the character had shoulder length raven hair and glowing red eyes. He went with red to try to frighten weak players. His character stood one centimeter taller and had a pretty boy face that would fit right in as the main protagonist of any anime. He body was built strong and lean, the physique of a perfect warrior.

The square he found himself in was named ‹‹Plaza of Beginnings›› and it is one of the few places in the city that could hold up to 50,000 players at once. The city he spawned into, is known as ‹‹Aincrad›› the main city in the surrounding landscape and it is currently the only known city in the game. Aincrad is a massive three-tiered behemoth. It sprawled across the landscape taking up roughly 10 square miles. In a leisurely walk from the center it takes about an hour and a half to reach one of the gates. Each tier of Aincrad served a general purpose and was protected by a wall.

Currently Kirito was near the center of the upper or the ‹‹First Tier››. The purpose, besides being the most secure and housing large elegant and impressive buildings as well as hundreds of extravagant but vacant player houses, was unknown. The central keep named ‹‹Black Iron Castle›› loomed over Kirito as he stood in the square. It was a large building made of black granite and built in a Gothic style to match the rest of the first tier. Upon dying in the game, a player would re-spawn within the keep in a room near the entrance. Already Kirito could see some sad-looking players trickling out.

He already had planned out every move he would make to maximize time spent within the game. He didn't need to waste time with something trivial like the tutorial so he turned north and jogged his way to the gate. Soon enough Kirito arrived at the gate between the two tiers, and he crossed through with no problems. And he found himself jogging into the ‹‹Second Tier››. While the first tier spanned a single square miles, the second expanded circularly outward and covered about 3 square miles. With the third tier filling in the remaining 6 square miles of the total 10.

The second tier is the where the ‹‹col›› really flows. Col is the in-game currency, when materialized it only came in strange silvery coins that were about the size of a United States quarter. They were each only worth one col. So materializing the in-game coins was not a common practice. Merchants and craftsmen ply their trades throughout the second district. There were districts within the second tier where each trade made their home. While scattered vendors selling the basics could be found in every district, the northern district of the second tier is exactly where Kirito wanted to go. It was one of the four large districts that made up the second tier. The second tier was heavily inspired by ancient Rome and Greece, with large marble columns found alongside the road and thin red-ish orange baked clay tiles shingled the rooftops.

The northern district focused on metal working. And Kirito found himself bee-lining for an NPC store that he preferred from the beta.

'I hope it is still here. I know they were going to make changes after the beta but I don't think they would delete an entire store that worked as intended. AH, yes ‹‹Real Steel››. I am glad this place is still here. Hmmm... Let's see. I have a ‹‹Beginner's sword››... this thing is terrible!'

Lost in his thoughts Kirito browsed the medium-sized store as the NPC clerk stood blankly at the counter.

'Ok so I have enough col to get either a ‹‹Copper Straight Sword›› or a ‹‹Weathered Iron Straight Sword››... Well the durability on the copper one is much lower but the damage... oh the damage is nice.'

The price decided it for Kirito as he was able to buy two iron swords for the price of one copper. With their higher durability he would be able to go for a while without having to repair. Each iron sword cost him 200 col while the copper sword charged 650 for a single one. Alongside his swords, Kirito picked up about 50 ‹‹Cheap Iron Picks›› that he could use with the ‹‹Throwing›› skill. He was also able to snag some cheap leather armor and a health potion from one of the street side everything vendors. This depleted his initial starting col of 1000.

Kirito exited the shop and ran into another player. He brushed them off, too focused to be distracted and set off jogging through the rest of the second tier. Thankfully besides the clanging of hammers, the northern district was one of the calmer ones. The eastern one was where wood working was done, while the western district dealt with the loud and noisy merchant class. Which left the small sub districts and the larger southern district to accommodate the other crafts and odds and ends of business.

He saw several players browsing weapon vendors alongside the road but paid them no more attention.

'Really does that guy need to shout about buying a katana so loudly?'

He finally came to the wall between the second and third tiers. The ‹‹Third Tier›› was the furthest one out, and was mostly filled with wooden buildings built-in medieval European style. Heavily reliant on wood. Inns and housing made up most of the buildings. NPC's strolled around conducting the inns and running the housing market. Much like the second tier, both were filled with NPC's to run business. While the first tier was nearly vacant besides the NPC guards that protected the wall and occasionally patrolled the streets. All together Aincrad was a mix of different building styles that made it slightly odd-looking, but nice at the same time.

Kirito passed through the final stretch of the civilian tier as it was often referred to as, and finally reached the barrier between Aincrad and the world surrounding it. He stood in a small receiving plaza before the gate. A small fountain bubbled in the center. Overall a cheery picture, one he didn't take the time to pay attention to. He had reached the ‹‹North Gate›› and wasted no more time by continuing to jog straight under the gate's arch.

After exiting Kirito found himself on the road heading north toward a large ancient pine forest. This forest thickly blanketed the land with large pine trees and other coniferous types. Immediately around Aincrad stretched a massive expanse of grass. This plain reached about two miles in every direction. Another two miles of jogging it seemed. If there was one positive side to the long two month break before SAO launched it was the time Kirito had to get in shape. During the beta he had realized the pure size of the world meant he needed to actually be able to walk across it. His normal life style was very inactive and to enjoy this game he knew he needed to be in better shape. While things like stamina and strength were technically ruled over by the system's stats. Kirito believed being in shape in real life would help translate over to the game. During the beta he had often found himself short of breath doing most anything. Already he knew it had paid off as he had been able to maintain a steady jog so far. So Kirito had pushed himself hard each day to gain some stamina and the beginning of some muscle tone.

Dotted across the green plain of grass, packs of odd purple boars could be seen. These were your typical beginning mob type enemy. Basically walking targets. They could fight back, but if you died to one Kirito would have had a hard time respecting you.

'Even though I nearly lost to that first pack I tried to fight...'

He shook his head to clear the fond beta test memory of fleeing in terror from when he had arrogantly, after killing his first boar, gone and agro'd the entire pack and run over to agro a second pack. He had barely made it to the ‹‹East Gate›› in time to have the NPC guards jump to his aid. This ruined all the xp he would have gotten, but he couldn't be upset about it at the time. He killed several boars that strayed across the roadway but didn't waste the time to go hunting the others.

Behind the pine forest loomed a massive mountain range, which stretched across the horizon, both east and west. Kirito knew that within the forest eaves roamed packs of wolves and small tribes of goblins. Deep inside the forest was a mystery however, as no one had ventured that far during the beta.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

Still jogging, Kirito was advancing up the road when he spotted what looked like a caravan in the distance. He knew from the surrounding quest hubs, that sometimes the NPC's sent caravan's carrying materials and supplies to Aincrad. To the north on the forest's edge lay a lumber camp. But he noticed something odd to the side of the group. Getting closer, Kirito could see a sort of standoff between the two groups. On the caravan side, there are about twenty NPC's hiding behind the wagons, one was richly dressed. In front of the five wagons, which Kirito could now see bared large logs, stood five NPC guards, one for each wagon. Across from them stood a group of ten goblins.

The NPC guards are human, and Kirito could tell they are level five and each one is equipped with iron long swords and an iron rimmed kite shield. They are wearing uniform leather armor and iron caps on their heads. Their shields all bear the insignia of Aincrad, a large golden crown above three black, concentric, diminishing, half circle chevrons on a gray background. They stood ready to fight the goblins off, each trying to keep their wagon safe.

The goblins are standing in a large mass, they hadn't attacked yet and most of them seemed to be quickly discussing something. The goblins are short creatures, half as tall as the NPC humans. They have large pointed ears and sharp teeth that poked out from their mouths. They have short limbs and beady black eyes. Their skin tones ranged from a swampy green to a sickly yellow. The goblins are level two mobs and each carried a nicked and bent iron short sword. Several also carried in their other hand a small iron rimmed black buckler shield. They were wearing plain cloth clothing, that was ripped and stained in every case, and Kirito guessed the main function of the clothing was so the developers didn't have to portray their thoughts on goblin anatomy. As he couldn't see the clothing serving another function.

One goblin stood slightly larger than his comrades, he also had an iron cap wedged between his ears atop his head. Out of the ten randomly generated facial appearances of the goblins, Kirito believed that this leader goblin got the funniest looking one, as its face is quite pudgy and puffed up in most places. Instead of the sharp angular features the others have. Suddenly as Kirito was nearing the group, the goblins split their impromptu meeting up and two goblins charged each defending soldier. Would quantity overcome quality? Kirito wasn't sure of the outcome if he left this fight alone. But who ignores such an obvious quest?

As the two sides clashed, Kirito sped up and got behind the closest set of goblins. He grabbed a pick from the pouch at his waist, holding it above his shoulder he took aim. Initiating the motion input, Kirito activated one of the ‹‹Sword Skills›› that made up a large portion of combat in SAO. His initial motion had activated the skill which then followed a set motion or pattern and executed its designated action quickly, precisely and powerfully. The pick in his right hand glowed red and his arm whipped forward, his ‹‹Throwing›› skill powered its flight. The pick wizzed forward quickly and struck one of the two closest goblins in the back of the head. Charging forward Kirito initiated the motion input for a ‹‹Slant››, a quick diagonal slash, and cleaved his now glowing sword down from the goblin's right shoulder to its left hip. His strike left an angry red line across the goblin, denoting his attack's effect. The goblin was quickly destroyed and dissipated into pixels alongside its partner which died to the NPC soldier fighting this duo.

The NPC defender turned to Kirito seeming to forget the battle raging alongside the convoy.

"Hello there, thanks for the help a moment ago. If you help us drive off the remaining goblins I am sure you will be rewarded for your effort. Do you accept?"

Verbally accepting Kirito replied.

"Sure."

Then the two turned and charged forward. Already one more goblin was dead alongside another soldier. The soldier who picked up his dead comrade's goblins looked to be on the verge of falling under the increased pressure. Dashing forward Kirito engaged one of the free goblins and in a quick back and forth flurry of blades he landed a strong blow across the goblin's face, followed by a stab through its heart for the kill.

Combat in SAO took two routes really. You could rely completely on the sword skills system and be a strong player within the game. Something Kirito had relied heavily on during the beta. But alongside his vigorous workout routine over that two month break, he had with his younger sister who is an up and coming kendo star, re-learned the basics. Which he slightly remembered from his childhood. Now he was by no means skilled, but he had sparred regular with Suguha as she insisted it was the best way to learn. So he could fight within SAO without the sword skills to some degree. He was planning to continue training with his sister so he could become a stronger player within the game. He had been one of the best in the beta pvp tournaments and he saw no reason he couldn't become the very best.

After wiping out that goblin, the group Kirito was among charged forward to aid the failing soldiers still alive. At the front of the charge Kirito met edge to edge with the larger goblin. Kirito parried an overhead cleave, and struck out to slash the goblin's chest. Finding himself parried, he jumped back to avoid the following stab. The goblin over extended, and one of the NPC soldiers next to it stabbed into the creature's exposed chest, he was rewarded with a sword straight into his neck from one of the remaining goblins. Kirito wasted no time in pressing this advantage and while the goblin leader reacted as if in pain, he lopped its head off with a ‹‹Horizontal››. By now the guards on the far side of the caravan were gone and the two sides were clashing around the middle.

Two soldiers stood side by side failing to hold the goblins back as the remaining five were overwhelming them. On the side Kirito danced around with two of the five. They were slow and couldn't use sword skills, definitely the weakest goblins Kirito had ever encountered. So as he dodged one's swing he managed to get in under the guard of the second and drive his sword into its gut. With no bones to snag his sword, he ripped it out viciously adding damage, and pushed the goblin causing it to trip backwards. The other one came at him and managed to slice him down his back. A numb sensation covered the inflicted area, informing Kirito of his wound.

The pain system in SAO was not aligned with real life. When taking a hit, all a player felt was a dull numb sensation that lasted for the wound's duration. So not incapacitated by what would be a very painful wound, Kirito turned and engaged his attacker. Parrying the goblin twice Kirito knew he needed to finish this one before the other got back. So he ducked under its horizontal swing and rushed forward. He tackled it to the ground and from on top jabbed his sword several times down into its unprotected chest. As the creature shattered into pixels, Kirito was back on his feet in time to meet the returned goblin.

This goblin was low on health and the two of them fought back and forth for a minute. Using his speed, Kirito tried to dodge a thrust, but his thigh was impaled. The numbness oozed over his leg, making it temporarily hard to stand. But Kirito ignored the sensation and while the goblin was trying to get its sword free, he delivered the killing blow.

Kirito spun to see the two soldiers and three goblins still locked in combat. He took out another pick and started pelting the goblins with his throwing weapons. He managed to hit several of them before he grew bored and charged forward to aid the soldiers. Together the three of them overpowered the goblins and finished them off.

'Whew, my first real fight back in the game. WHAT A THRILL!'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

Of the twenty laborers assigned to the caravan, five had been killed when the guardsmen were over run on the far end of the fight. Kirito was approached by the richly dressed NPC he saw earlier. The man was a pudgy merchant who wheezed with every step. The merchant began praising Kirito for his assistance, the character was a huge suck up Kirito realized. He was busying browsing through the dropped loot from the goblins he killed when.

_Bing!_

Interrupted Kirito's actions as a window popped up showing him a reward.

"_Congratulations young warrior, to thank you for your effort I will award you with 3,000 col. Also since you manage to keep most of my laborers intact (for the quest bonus at least three fourths of the laborers must survive) I will write you this letter to give to the foreman of the lumber camp, he will see to it you are uniquely rewarded."_

He finally paid attention to what the merchant said as his voice had sounded more serious. So Kirito accepted the reward and walked away. While walking he opened his character window and began distributing the points he earned for leveling up twice.

Kirito focused his build into three stats, agility, strength and vitality. Every level granted a player five points to distribute how they pleased among their stats, and Kirito spent his as two into ‹‹AGI››, two into ‹‹STR›› and the last point into ‹‹VIT››. For his first three levels however he spent his points, as one into ‹‹VIT›› and the rest into dexterity. A ‹‹DEX›› stat of twenty is required to wield most weapons and Kirito wanted to finish it off. With the beginning value of six for each stat, he only needed to drop two more points into ‹‹DEX›› and he would be good to ignore it. So one more point from ‹‹AGI›› and ‹‹STR›› and he would be good. He wanted to be equal in speed and power, as he played without a shield Kirito needed to be quick and strong enough to parry or dodge attacks coming his way.

At 5:15 pm Kirito reached the lumber camp. He had been in-game for nearly three hours and most of it had been spent travelling, such was the fate of the adventurer in this game. He only have about an hour left to play as his family expected him at the dinner table at 6:00 pm. Even with the release of SAO his family would not give him lee way.

Kirito identified the foreman's lodge and heading over there. A large thickly muscled NPC was the foreman. He had a large brown beard and limp brown hair. If the man were real it would be easy to guess he had spent his life hauling the heavy logs around. The NPC turned and greeted him.

"Hello there stranger, can I help you with something inside my camp?"

Kirito spoke his name and handed the NPC the letter.

The NPC took the item and pretended to read it. Several seconds later the NPC looked at him and spoke again.

"Thank you very much for helping out the caravan, my boy's lives were saved thanks to you. Also that caravan had an important shipment of lumber the wood workers really need. The merchant says here to give you the special cloak he left me...Hm... Well here take it."

The NPC materialized the item and threw it at Kirito. When he looked at it in his inventory he found it was named ‹‹Cloak of the Forest's Shadow››. It was a black cloak with a high collar that fell down to the floor. The cloak gave the bonuses of +10% hiding skill, +10% one-handed ax skill, and all noise made by the users movement is muffled. Kirito liked that his noise would be muffled and since he just leveled up from the xp gained from talking to the foreman he had already planned as his fourth skill to be ‹‹Hiding››. Even though he doesn't use an ax he knew the cloak would be worth his while to use for now.

‹‹Skills›› were abilities you could use in-game, such as ‹‹Throwing››. Kirito had now gotten the total amount of ‹‹DEX›› he would need, and he had spent his skill points into:

‹‹One Handed Sword››  
‹‹Throwing››  
‹‹Searching››  
‹‹Hiding››

Players unlocked a new skill point every level till fifteen. Giving them a total of fifteen slots. Except for at level two players start with a second skill slot and don't receive a point for their first time leveling up. Currently no know way of acquiring more than fifteen skill slots was known, but it had been hinted at being possible during the beta.

Kirito had finished spending his points, and decided to go pick up the quests around the camp. As it was the quest hub for the quests within the forest northward. Grabbing the last one, Kirito set about organizing the list of quests he now had. When suddenly a tugging sensation shot through his body and a swirl of blue pixels enveloped him.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

The swirling mass of pixels ended just as suddenly as it began, Kirito glanced around and realized, with what seemed like everyone else in the game had been teleported back to the ‹‹Plaza of Beginnings››. He looked around confused for several moments and listened to the murmuring around him.

"I couldn't either..."

"This is so dumb..."

"... MY PIZZA!"

He was still confused what everyone was talking about. When the sky filled with long red hexagons. They created a dome over the plaza and without anyone's knowledge they formed a barrier so no one could exit the plaza at that time. On the hexagon's was the message ‹‹System Announcement››. From the center, where the first hexagon appeared, red liquid started dripping down. It looked very viscous and lots of people believed it to be blood. Instead of falling to the ground and splattering on those below. The liquid stopped in mid-air halfway down, and started forming into a blob. When the last of the liquid reached the mass, it sprung out and began resembling a recognizable shape. Soon it formed into the robes the GM's wore during the beta. Only this figure had a black void for a face and lacked any real body to speak of. Besides the shape that held the robe in place. It even had gloves freely floating, unattached. It raised these hands in a welcoming gesture. Then a deep voice boomed out.

**"Hello and welcome to Sword Art Online. My name is Kayaba Akihiko. I am the lead designer for SAO and I have put a lot of effort into creating this world. Now it is your turn to put effort into this world to truly make it come alive. To accomplish this, SAO will now be following a unique and risky design choice. The log out function of this game has been disabled. None of you will be able to log out until this game is cleared. As you have no way to log out from in-game, I am sure many of you are thinking. Ha my family/friend/neighbor/government agent will just pull the game thing off my head. Well I regret to inform you this is also not a possibility."**

Kayaba materialized news broadcasts from around the world and they floated around above the players as flat rectangular surfaces. This was to be a feature of SAO, using a screen to access the internet or just to hang out in VR while doing a homework assignment. But now Kayaba was using it to showcase the truth to his words.

**"Across the world right now, news agencies are broadcasting my message. That any attempts at removing the Nerve Gear now attached to a player's head. Will result in the microwave sensors within the helmet unleashing a powerful pulse wave that will flash cook the user's brain and kill them. As you can see on these broadcasts, already 213 people have not heeded the warning and killed off a precious family member or friend. Since this is such a huge news break, I give you my sincere belief that you should all be safe of this occurring to you."**

'I-I-is...Is this real... Microwave pulse... OH SHIT! The microwave sensors in the Nerve Gear are definitely strong enough to do such a thing... I really hope Suguha saw the news.'

Kayaba had paused to let his words sink in momentarily and while Kirito and many others realized his word's truth. The man above then resumed talking.

**"Now then, with this all said so far. I have some changes to the game to address. From this point onward any player death within SAO is permanent. No re-spawning, this means if your ‹‹HP›› reaches zero, the microwave within the Nerve Gear will fire and fry your brain. So those of you who died in this game before I called you all here. I hope you learned from that mistake, or prepare to face your true end. Along with this true death, the pain buffer which was previously a one out of five which let you feel objects around you as realistic and only left pain as a dull numb sensation, had now been set to a four out of five. Pain will be felt at 60% of its realistic value. Any more could be detrimental to your real bodies and we can't have that now can we? The authorities might get upset."**

Kayaba chuckled darkly with his latest statement. His evil laugh caused the hair on many players' necks to stand on end as a chill went down their spine. One player burst out crying and screamed.

"HOLY SHIT I ALREADY DIED FIFTEEN TIMES! I AM FUCKED! I DON'T WANNA D..."

Kayaba did something with his fingers before he spoke again. The screaming player was now silenced.

**"Ah don't worry I only muted him. I must say though that you are rather unfortunate. I suggest you play with less risk from now on. Or... Bye bye... heheh... Ahem, anyway the land surrounding Aincrad is a mystery, but you must set out, explore it and grow stronger to survive. Because for the next five years the city fortress of Aincrad will be under a heavy onslaught of evil forces within Sword Art Online. What I mean by this is that every 30 days, an in-game event will occur that has the potential to threaten the lives of all of you if you do not heed my words. Those of you that do set out to conquer the world, know that if you are successful and survive all five years and defeat the final event all players remaining alive within the game will be logged out and you will have saved yourselves from this new reality. The reality in which I am the god of this death game. Amuse me mortals..."**

Kayaba hissed the final s and as he was hissing it his outline began wavering and then robes disappeared along with his voice and all the hexagons. A window popped up in front of everyone, it proclaimed they were gifted the ‹‹Reality Mirror››. No one was sure what it was, but naturally everyone checked it. When it materialized it everyone's hands, another swirl of blue pixels obscured the view around everyone.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

When his vision came back into focus, Kirito looked at the mirror and realized with horror what had just happened. The face staring back at him was not the suave and handsome face of his avatar. The face staring back at him was the slightly feminine, youthful face of Kirigaya Kazuto. Short black hair with black eyes. A much rounder face and his height had reset to his natural height. Something in all honesty he was glad for. Being even slightly taller, threw off one's perception and movement slightly.

Kirigaya Kazuto was 5'6''. Kirigaya Kazuto did not have the ridiculous perfect physique of an in-game avatar, no he had the thin and slightly wiry frame he had gained over the past two months. He was still pale from years of shut in gaming. Kirigaya Kazuto did not have intimidating glowing red eyes. No Kirigaya Kazuto was a rather average, pale fellow.

Looking around Kirito realized everyone else had reverted as well. Around him was a mass of normal looking people. Instead of the collection of finely chiseled faces and defined bodies, was an amalgamation of average and sub-average. People began freaking out.

'Ok ok ok... C'mon Kazuto think here... Kayaba just made this world into a reality. People are gonna freak out... I am freaking out... No, there is no time I need to act.'

Focusing again Kirito heard the shouting raise in intensity around him. Kirito realized lady luck was on his side as he was near the edge on the north side of the plaza. Kirito quickly threaded and forced his way between the now panicking players. He heard people shouting countless profanity, while several players were screaming as if they were being brutally murdered. Terror was rampant in the crowd and Kirito wanted nothing to do with it. He hated the group mentality and preferred to deal with things by himself.

Already people were shoving and arguing. Fights were breaking out around him, but he was almost there. Amid the cacophony, Kirito wondered if anyone else was trying to flee the square right now.

'Probably not.. Stupid group mentality...'

He made his last push and broke free. Kirito began jogging northward a plan forming in his head.

'Ok Kazuto guess what. You are now actually Kirito. I need to adjust to that, don't feel like telling anyone my real name. Besides that... Hmm Kayaba said that if we don't train ourselves we are basically forfeiting our lives. Not on my to-do list. Solutions? ... Well I guess I will just adjust my original plan. I need to become as strong as possible, the strongest even. I told Suguha I would go to her next match, so I definitely will have to survive to make up five years' worth of matches... Sorry sis.'

Kirito spied several other players sprinting around in the streets among the first district. Some seemed lost. Others Kirito could see the spark of determination in their eyes. He imagined he had something similar forming in his own.

'Hmm competitors... SHIT! I really wanted to role play a strong pvper... Can't do that anymore, Thanks Kayaba. Ok ‹‹Northern Forest›› it is likely no one else will go there. It is rumored to be a very dangerous place. Even those determined people will fear for their lives. Less competition means more mobs for me.'

Crossing the gateway between the first and second tiers, Kirito stared out at the view he had of Aincrad. There was a hill that the first district was built upon, allowing one to look out over the other two. Distracted by his thoughts, Kirito didn't notice the sun setting to his left.

'So this is my reality now... I only have 30 days, and in that time I need to be as strong as possible. The seconds are already ticking down... I cannot fail, I will survive.'

* * *

Hope you liked it. This first chapter was basically re-written from when I first put it out. So if you notice it is kind of different.

Feel free to leave a review, or to write me a pm on any questions, comments, or ideas you may have. Really I just like to chat with anyone who reads my story.


	2. First Event Arc: Ch 2

Yo, welcome to the second chapter.

* * *

_December 2, 2025_

'Already over three weeks in...'

Kirito silently mused to himself as he trekked back to his campsite. It was late evening on the 26th day of the death game SAO. Located in the ‹‹Northern Forest››, Kirito had placed a ‹‹Campsite›› up in a clearing with dense tree's ringing it. The ‹‹Campsite›› was a quest reward he had received after rescuing a lost explorer who decided to retire and no longer had a need for his camping gear. It set up a small safe area that allowed the player, or any player for that matter to sleep safely within its ring of influence.

When set up it produced a two man sized green tent, two sleeping bags, a small campfire that would always be lit unless the player chose otherwise, and if upgraded the ‹‹Campsite›› could have several optional settings. Something Kirito had yet to invest in as he hadn't returned to Aincrad he wanted to repair his gear or vendor some items he frequented the lumber camp near the forest's edge. Kirito was really interested in acquiring the small chest upgrade for his ‹‹Campsite›› as it would be a place for him to store some items allowing him a longer time in between visits to vendor.

Reaching his clearing he was greeted by the flames glowing a brilliant orange as the sun was mid set, the fire easily kept the clearing toasty. Kirito had swept through the forest for two weeks now. Finding random quests and fighting off the packs or hordes the forest's inhabitants favored. His first week within the game had been spent doing all the lumber camp's quests then going on excursions through the forest. He had been lucky to find the lost hiker, as it was a first come first serve quest. Normally such a nice campsite couldn't be crafted till a tailor was at least 800/1000 into the skill. Which could take months of constant grinding. Most likely longer within this game as he guessed many players were too afraid to venture out to where the mats could be found.

Kirito had encountered one player since he fled the city. ‹‹Coper›› was a guy around his age slightly shorter than Kirito and had brown hair. It was the third day of the game and Kirito had met the boy at the lumber camp in the morning. They had spoken and Kirito explained one of the quests to him. He had guessed Coper was a beta tester to have the guts to try the forest out for leveling but he couldn't have been sure. They had split off in different directions that day.

Kirito was on the final quest for the camp as such he had to venture deep into the forest's eaves and slay a local goblin chieftain. ‹‹Glob Skull the Overbearing›› Kirito had laughed at the name at first picturing a large fat housewife version of a goblin screeching as it nagged the tribe day in and day out. When he finally encountered Glob he realized overbearing really just applied to the amount of detail the goblin put into cleaning his weapon.

It was a large halberd that Glob had wielding with both hands. He had swung it around viciously but Kirito had been level eight at this point while the goblin was only five, the amount of damage that bled through anytime Kirito parried the swings was minimal.

After each block Kirito was able to throw the goblin's weapon off in a random direction causing the goblin to stumble, making it easy for Kirito to activate a small-sword skill and he quickly tore the chieftain down after several combos. After that day he had never encountered Coper again. Due to the risk of the forest and the long time since contact, Kirito assumed Coper had bit off more than he could chew and had paid the price.

From the quests completed, Kirito had managed to obtain an ‹‹Anneal Blade››. It was an awesome sword, but he had never seen it before in the beta because he hadn't really spent much time in the ‹‹Northern Forest›› so he hadn't happened upon the old house in the woods with a sick old woman asking you to bring her medicine from a certain flower found somewhere deeper in the woods.

Currently he had enough mats to upgrade his ‹‹Anneal Blade›› fourteen times. However the max was +10 a weapon could be upgraded and he was currently planning on returning to Aincrad to search for a capable player smith. With the lower percentage chance for each upgrade he was hoping having four spares would be enough to guarantee +10. If not, he dreaded how many more goblins he would have to kill for their rare drop of ‹‹Goblin Whet Stone››.

Sitting down on a log next to the campfire Kirito pulled out a small rabbit he had killed with a throwing pick. Thankfully all players could prepare the most basic meals without having to choose the ‹‹Cooking›› skill. So he roasted it over the fire. During the cooking and subsequent eating, Kirito scanned idly through his menu checking all his player data.

In the past twenty six days he had managed to level up to seventeen. His health was currently at a nice 2,800 points. From his starting point at level one, he had 250 hp then every level earned gave players +50 hp while every point in ‹‹VIT›› was worth +100. Kirito was quite happy with his build. He only had seven skill slots filled currently even though he had all fifteen unlocked. His skills were:

‹‹One-Handed Sword››  
‹‹Throwing››  
‹‹Searching››  
‹‹Hiding››  
‹‹Battle Healing››  
‹‹Night Vision››  
‹‹Martial Arts››

He considered all of these skills to be his core skills. Normally a player would want to fill their skill slots up as quickly as possible as they can only be advanced by being used. So waiting to fill slots for a long time means your new skill will be far behind the others. But Kirito had several plans for his other slots that he couldn't yet fill the skill in, because of the prerequisites that accompany them. Choosing skills was permanent in this game so if he incorrectly filled a slot in it could possibly even lead to his death in this game.

Of the large list immediately available, the skills he had already chosen were the only ones he wanted. Besides that lots of other skills existed within the game, there is nearly an infinite number of skills. He wanted to leave an opening in case he finds another rare skill. Since players can only happen across these skills or unlock there prerequisites. Many skills are still unknown or no one knows how to unlock them. For example Kirito had ‹‹Martial Arts››, a skill he happened across.

While exploring the forest just several days ago he had, chanced upon a clearing. Scanning the clearing with his ‹‹Searching›› skill he discovered no hostile mobs, only one lone NPC. The man was clearly based off of Bruce Lee. He was even dressed similarly. Kirito saw the quest icon floating above so he decided to approach. The NPC spoke first.

"Who goes there? This is my training clearing and I don't appreciate being interrupted."

The man's name appeared ‹‹Master Lee››. Kirito thought,

'Ha, he really is based on Bruce Lee.'

Before he could get further sidetracked however Master Lee dropped into a defensive crouch. Quickly trying to avert a fight.

"Hello sir, I was wandering these woods and I happened upon your clearing by chance."

The NPC didn't really recognize what Kirito said, but since he replied to him it further continued the quest.

"Oh you there look like a warrior. Well then warrior would you like to learn a new skill?"

'A new skill? Must be some form of hand to hand combat skill. I could then use my left hand to fight as well. I bet no one even knows this quest exists.'

Quickly deciding to continue the quest since he liked the possible reward Kirito accepted.

"Well then warrior to learn this skill you must prove your worthiness. Do you see those three trees there? Go chop them down with nothing but your hand. Once all three have fallen I will teach you my new skill. But be warned if you leave this clearing before the trees fall I will not train you."

Kirito nearly had a heart attack when the NPC pointed to three massive trees. Each was at least a meter to two meters wide near the base where he would be expected to chop it down.

'How the hell am I going to do this? I bet the trees just have high durability and I have to punch them over and over...'

And so he did. Kirito punched one tree for near two hours before he got bored and started pretending to do karate chops and roundhouse kicks. Surprisingly when he checked the durability his random attacks were working. With one final karate chop while letting out a mighty.

"HIIII YYYAAAAAA!"

Kirito broke the first tree which incidentally was the largest of the three. Greatly inspired by felling his first adversary Kirito jumped to work on the second one. With his random combination of attacks he found the second one to go much faster than the first. After taking a break to rest Kirito renewed his attacks with vigor hoping to bring the final tree down in time to make it back to his campsite before it was too late at night for him to get a decent night's sleep.

"Oh ho! Congratulations warrior. I will now teach you my skill ‹‹Martial Arts››."

A pop window appeared after Kirito replied announcing.

_You now know ‹‹Martial Arts›› good luck young grasshopper._

Exhausted from his exertion Kirito had somehow made his way back to his campsite without running into many mobs.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_December 3, 2025_

Kirito woke up early, so early the sun was just rising. But this was his normal habit, he only slept a few hours each night in the attempt to maximize the amount of time he could spend leveling. Stretching he got lost in his thoughts as he prepared to pack the ‹‹Campsite›› up.

'Heading to the city today is certainly going to be interesting. I need to find a smith, and I should definitely find a player merchant to sell off the loot I don't need.'

Checking his friend's list Kirito saw one name.

_Argo_

'I should probably try to get in contact with Argo. She messaged me once, around a week ago to see if I was still alive, all I replied was.'

_Yes_

'Then I ignored all the following messages from her. She is probably going to be furious. Ah well time to leave I have a lot to do today.'

With his thoughts concluded Kirito left his forest clearing, his ‹‹Campsite›› returned to his inventory. The walk back through the forest was uneventful. Even though he had come to find things had changed since the beta, the forest eaves still only housed goblin bands and wolf packs as hostile mobs. With their levels now far below him, they posed no threat. Even the several mini bosses he had slain over his outings wouldn't pose a threat to him anymore.

His plan was to head back to Aincrad and then he would stay there and accomplish his business before the ‹‹First Event›› was supposed to occur. Kirito couldn't help himself he was extremely curious as to what it would be. There had been nothing in the beta that he could imagine being used. The several beta events had basically just been parties involving the players and gm's at the time. With demonstrations of high level skills and gear.

Reaching the edge of the forest's eaves Kirito entered a field full of stumps. Across from his position he could see the small wall that surrounded the lumber camp. Smoke rising from several chimneys.

'Well what do you know, back at the lumber camp. Hmmm I never actually checked what the name of this camp was.'

Deciding to solve his query Kirito opened his menu and checked the map.

'Ahh that simple huh?'

‹‹Northern Lumber Camp››

His answer found he marched across the stump field and into the camp. Not surprised at all he found it vacant except for NPC laborers flitting to and fro working and NPC guards lazily standing at attention at the entrances. Finding nothing out of the ordinary he walked toward the southern end of the camp where the cobblestone road that led from the camp to the city began,

'Or ended depending on where you departed from.'

He mused to himself.

It was past mid-day and Kirito was still a mile out from the city. He could easily see Aincrad's tall walls. They were very visible from the surroundings especially when one found themselves on the surrounding plain. For about 1,500 feet in every direction around the city, no mobs spawned. At that border however plenty of level one ‹‹boars›› could be found.

They were the trash of trash mobs basically moving training dummies. They rewarded minimal col and dropped some very basic items. There one main use besides training was they dropped basic tailoring leather. The farther from the city a player got the boars level would increase up to level five which were located on the very outskirts of the ring of grass. Kirito was actually surprised to find players mixed in with the level four boars. Parties of player duking it out with these insignificant mobs.

'I guess they have to start somewhere...'

Kirito was very thankful that this game had so many cosmetic items in it. It meant that his strange cloak which was a unique reward wouldn't draw attention to him. He hated being the center of attention in any social situation, in fact he hated receiving almost any attention. He would often fidget when someone scrutinized him or glared at him. However, doing or looking like a bad ass was something he loved. It was why he always excelled to be the best when playing video games.

The leather armor he is wearing isn't anything special looking. His ‹‹Anneal Blade›› however, while not flashy certainly looked nice. Looking at it one could tell it was a high quality sword. Fortunately he doubted he would be asked about it by some passerby.

Nearing the city the number of players littering the field only grew. It seemed that the majority of people had only just begun to level up within the last week or less, it would explain why so many people were standing around killing a couple of boars then having to wait for them to re spawn as the lower level boars were literally encased in a mass spawn camp massacre.

Finally he made it to the ‹‹North Gate››. It fit as what one would expect, curved at the top coming down from its arc to the ground. A large thick wooden door nailed and lashed together tightly of large logs from the ‹‹Northern Forest›› made it up. It was studded with iron as a reinforcement and coated with an ointment to prevent it from easily catching fire.

When open the gate was wide enough for six people to walk side by side comfortably through and it stood an impressive eight feet tall. It fit nicely within the large wood logs that made up the outer most wall of the city. Which reached up ten feet and was about two feet thick. The gatehouse which left the gate shadowed was nothing special. All in all the outer most wall of Aincrad which was its first line of defense was nothing special but it did a good job.

'And since NPC's don't exactly just attack the city I think the cosmetic value of the walls certainly is nice.'

Kirito thought as he passed through the gate into the third tier of the city. Houses upon houses crowded the lowest tier of the city. Inn's broke up the houses complete dominance over the district but otherwise the third district certainly wasn't that visually varied. Squat wooden houses big enough to house anywhere from one to five people were everywhere.

Kirito figured since no one would yet be able to afford a house in the first district, all thirty whatever thousand players must be renting the inns out or living in these houses. Since most of the NPC's that otherwise lived in the houses had no purpose when the house was owned they disappeared but would reappear to take ownership of the house if it was ever vacated.

Quickly finishing his 'tour' of the third district Kirito found himself at the ‹‹North Gate›› of the second tier. Sadly for the defense of the city, houses and inns were built in some places all the way up directly to the wall. Making it so with short ladders a besieger could quickly climb the wall from the top of a house.

But the second wall was certainly more impressive then the first. This wall was stone. Blackish grey and imposing. Should one find themselves assaulting this wall they would face a wooden portcullis on both sides along with a two inch thick black iron door that would be slammed closed at the sign of an invader.

Over top the gate stood a much more functional and sturdy looking gatehouse of the same stone. This wall was fifteen feet high and four feet thick. Quite a stout wall. The outer face of the wall was rimmed with battlements to help defenders against ranged weaponry. Large stone towers stood twenty feet apart on either side of the gate, creating a nice crossfire zone effect on the gate.

The towers were very short only extending an additional five feet to top off at twenty feet tall. Besides the two on either side of the gatehouse, these towers were placed 60 feet apart from one another along the ring of the wall. Passing through, Kirito could see that the NPC guards at this gate were at least fifteen levels higher than the ones defending the outer wall, based upon their gear's appearance anyway. Wondering why that was Kirito made his way into the blacksmith section of the Craftsmen District.

_Bing!_

Surprised by the sudden noise Kirito nearly didn't notice the little icon that appeared on his HUD informing him that he had just received a message.

'A message? Argo must have seen me come into town.'

Kirito realized as he had selected that only friends could send him messages. He paused while walking and put his back to a building so no one could read over his shoulder. Then without further delay he opened it.

_Dear Kirito_

_What do I spy with my little eye? Only a player coming from the ‹‹Northern Lumber Camp›› road first give away, but then he is carrying the highest quality sword I have seen yet, hint two, but the thing that gave away it all to me even though I had yet to see your real face was your color scheme. Really Kirito all black... that's how I knew my Kiri boy was back in town._

_Seeing as your here but I am currently busy I can only guess you are here to upgrade your equipment. Because I know this and because I am just glad to see you actually hadn't died but have been receiving my messages I will give you two names and two locations._

_They will suit the two needs I am certain you are here to fulfill. But YOU OWE ME! I actually was worried about you, don't ever ignore me again. __**AND I WILL GET YOU BACK FOR IT! **__For a smith you want, ‹‹Lizbeth›› she runs her own shop, named ‹‹Heart Forged››. And certainly you must have plenty to sell, for a player merchant go find the guy named ‹‹Agil›› he runs his shop named ‹‹The Black Market›› don't worry no shady business or anything. He may not have the biggest player base to sell to but he mostly deals with the higher level players anyway, who I am guessing would be the only ones able to buy your loot._

_Catch ya later Kirito.  
-Argo_

'Damn she is good.'

Kirito thought as he closed the message smirking slightly.

'Well the merchant district is on the western part of this tier and I was heading to the smiths first might, as well search for Lizbeth since she should be in the northern district.'

25 Minutes later finds Kirito walking into the shop ‹‹Heart Forged››. A small bell jingles as he open the door. A voice calls out from somewhere in another room.

"One moment, I will be there shortly."

Finding himself in a decent sized shop Kirito begins to look around and admire the collection of weapons along the walls and on display.

'Well she certainly has been grinding her ‹‹Blacksmith›› skill. I know halberds can't be made till at least 150/1000.'

He admires the displays as he notices several of said weapon hanging on the left wall. Cut from his musings as the voice from before says.

"Welcome to ‹‹Heart Forged›› my name is Lizbeth and this is my shop! May I help you with something?"

Kirito looked up and saw a girl around his age walking out. She had a pretty face with brunette hair and was nicely proportioned, she stood a handful of inches shorter than Kirito.

"Erm... Hello my name is Kirito, and umm err... I need my sword, and this dagger, upgraded if that's at all possible. Also I was looking to purchase several more daggers."

Kirito answered rather awkwardly at first.

'Jeez when is the last time I talked to anyone besides an NPC...'

"I should have no problem upgrading those for you as long as you have all the mats and can pay, while I do that you can browse my selection of daggers on the right over there, or you can come watch. It seems like everyone wants to watch whenever I upgrade their gear, superstition or something I suppose."

Lizbeth answered sweetly.

"Ahh yes I would like to be there when you upgrade my sword but the dagger, I don't mind missing to browse the other daggers."

Talking aside Lizbeth invited Kirito into the forge room.

"Alright how many times am I upgrading what?" Asked Lizbeth as she walked over to her anvil.

"Well I would like my sword upgraded to +10 please. Here I have enough mats for fourteen upgrades so you can keep trying if you fail."

"Arrrgh WHAT! +10? I have never upgraded past +3! And MESS UP! I bet I can get all ten without missing one."

Replied an exasperated smith.

"I would certainly appreciate that. Then for my dagger I have enough mats for a +4 upgrade. Here."

Kirito finished talking as he opened a trade window with Lizbeth. Then proceeded to trade his sword, and dagger, as well hundreds of mats over.

"Thanks Lizbeth I really appreciate this."

Kirito then went over to the wall and leaned against it waiting to see the smith work on his sword.

Astonished at the number of items in the stacks of mats Kirito handed over Liz ignored him when he used her full name. Grumbling to herself realizing this guy was serious she found his ‹‹Anneal Blade›› and opened up a window to designate what she was going to craft. Taking her hammer from her inventory she proceeded to hammer the blade on the anvil upgrading it time and again. At +4 she let a small smile grace her face.

'Ha I can totally upgrade this ten times in a row who cares if it will only have a 10% chance for the final one.'

At +7 her small smile was now a smirk. Getting to +9 in a row made her practically smug. Then...

_Upgrade Failure_

"ARRGGH NO!"

Leaning against the wall Kirito couldn't help but be amazed, this smith had just done nine successful upgrades in a row.

'Damn, I honestly thought she would get +10 with how she was going.'

Deciding to tease her Kirito let a smirk creep onto his lips.

"Well I guess it can't be helped but I give you a 9/10 for effort."

Sarcasm laced every word.

A small embarrassed smile on her face Lizbeth answered,

"Hey nine upgrades in a row is amazing, I challenge you to find a better smith."

"Ahh no... Thank you Lizbeth you did a wonderful job and now I would appreciate it if you could finish said job. In fact you have proven your skills to me so well, I will leave you in peace to finish the 10th upgrade and the other upgrade, one of your daggers really caught my eye."

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_December 6, 2025_

'Today's the day.'

Kirito thought.

'I sure am glad Liz was so helpful.'

After he had left the room to search her daggers, Liz had managed the tenth upgrade on her third try, Kirito told her to keep the extra mats as thanks, and then she managed +3 on his dagger. He found three daggers of hers that he really liked. All perfectly balanced for throwing. He had spent a large amount of his col in her shop but it was col well spent in his mind.

Liz had realized he was a very skilled player by the upgrades he asked for and the sheer amount of mats and col he had. So she had given him a discount if he promised to always have her be his exclusive smith. Making a promise to return Kirito agreed.

Kirito had stopped off at one of the random street vendors, who was a tailor, and got them to upgrade his leather armor six times, as he had lots and lots of leather from all the wolves he had slain.

Next he had found Agil's shop with relative ease. Agil turned out to be a huge dark-skinned man. He was heavily muscled and was very tall. He was not imposing though as he came across as easy-going. Kirito managed to make up more than the col he had spent at Liz's by the time he had left.

Agil was shocked by the amount and quality of gear he was looking to sell. Agil had maybe one piece of gear on the same level. Agil had even tried to buy Kirito's ‹‹Anneal Blade›› upon seeing what high quality it was for this earlier in the game. Kirito had flatly declined. On no circumstance was he going to part with his sword till he found one of greater ability.

After that had been accomplished Kirito set off to find a restaurant and eat a nice cooked meal. He then put himself to bed rather early in an inn in the third tier.

December fourth and fifth had passed by with nothing exciting happening. Kirito had met up with Argo and they had talked for a while, Kirito never told her where he had been since launch. After that meeting with, future ones promised should either find something worth telling the other. Kirito had set off to the first tier to explore it. Over the course of those two days he found that the tier was still vacant of NPC's. One intriguing thing he found was a giant piece of gray metal that had a list of all 40,000 player's names. There was a counter that said how many still were in the game.

_38,993_

'Over 1,000 people have died within the first month.'

Kirito was of curiosity, he had searched for Coper's name and had found it crossed out signifying that the boy had indeed been killed. His cause of death was,

_Mauled by wolf_

Kirito realized Coper must have been overwhelmed by a pack.

'It's odd, but I am not particularly upset that he died. He just seemed unstable to me when I talked with him. That's why I made sure to head in the opposite direction of him that day.'

It was just before mid-day and the sky was heavily clouded. As Kirito was brought out of his thoughts he found himself alone at the ‹‹South Gate›› of the third tier. The number of gate NPC guards here was double that of the ‹‹North Gate››. Why no one was really sure. But, last night an NPC had appeared at the gate nearly dead. He brought word of,

"A flood approaches to wipe away Aincrad..."

Naturally Kirito realized this meant some form of mass amount of mobs instead of an actual wave of water.

'It just wouldn't make sense for Kayaba to try to drown everyone thirty days into the game...'

He had logically decided. At that moment the clouds burst and a heavy down pour covered the city.

'Does this signify that the flood is nearly here?'

Again thinking Kirito failed to notice the ‹‹Alarm Bell›› sound from the first tier. He did notice it however after he was distracted by an icon appearing and a loud.

_Bing!_

Quickly opening Argo's message, Kirito read.

_Kirito quick come to the ‹‹East Gate›› as fast as you can. I'm seeing lots of mobs here._

Not bothering to read the rest of the message Kirito raced off in the direction of the ‹‹East Gate››. Now he could clearly hear the city's ‹‹Alarm Bell›› blaring out across Aincrad. Warning the 39,000 remaining players that the ‹‹First Event›› had just begun!

* * *

Well, well, well, that's that. End of chapter two. I hope you enjoyed it.

Feel free to leave a review or write me a PM, for any questions, comments, or ideas you may have. I enjoy receiving them. And try to always respond.


	3. First Event Arc: Ch 3

Yo, time for the next chapter.

* * *

Anyway Please Enjoy

_December 6, 2025  
East Gate Tier three_

Arriving at the large plaza in front of the third tier's ‹‹East Gate›› Kirito found hundreds of players engaged in close quarters combat with around 100 goblins. Scanning the scene quickly Kirito deduced that these players were of a decent level probably around ten for most of them. They were fighting in groups using numbers to ensure no casualties against the goblins.

The goblins he saw were named ‹‹Goblin Scout››. Amidst the confusion of so many bodies packed together fighting Kirito heard one voice yelling orders. Following the voice to its source he saw a heavily armored player with a sword and shield. The player stood tall near the front of the melee his blue hair hung down to shoulder length.

'Huh... I guess some players organized themselves for today.'

Kirito had expected mostly solo and small group efforts from those brave enough to confront the ‹‹First Event›› one player leading hundreds of others in one massive raid was not what he had expected at all. He listened to what the player was yelling.

"STAY FOCUSED EVERYONE! WE ARE DOING GREAT!"

And other such encouragements were what he was currently yelling since the player had already maneuvered everyone into a decent fighting shape within the plaza.

Taking another look Kirito analyzed the enemy. At level eight the goblins had around 1,000 hp. they were wearing some kind of medium leather chest armor and were each dual wielding daggers. They didn't seem to possess any sword skills. They had leather caps on as well to protect their head with leather greaves and vambraces for their limbs.

All in all they presented a danger to almost any player still in the game. To Kirito however he could dispatch them with a single ‹‹Horizontal›› if he were to swing full strength on a critical area. In a fight such as this one he couldn't imagine why he would give anything less than 100% though.

The echoing clashes from metal on metal spurred him to action. Since he had arrived nearly half the goblins had died, from what he could tell no player had yet to die, they would safely retreat behind their comrades if their health fell to low.

Drawing his blade Kirito calmly walked towards the front line. As he walked he saw a group of five battling with three goblins. Three of the players had shields out and had they held up in a line forming a shield wall, these three wielded an assortment of one handed weapons. Behind them stood the other two, both had long wood shafted pikes. They were stabbing at the goblins over the shield wall their friends presented.

'A very defensive, but effective strategy.'

Kirito thought. He reached this group as one of the shield bearers broke rank to finish of the last goblin with a smash of his mace onto the goblin's skull. While the five celebrated their success Kirito walked past.

He had spotted a goblin that was different. After scanning it he had discovered it was labeled ‹‹Scout Captain››. This goblin stood at least a foot taller than his smaller counterparts. Instead of the dual daggers, this goblin had an iron short sword and a medium sized oval oak shield as well. On the shield was a symbol Kirito wasn't familiar with.

It was a large black mace smashing down onto several stick figures who clearly represented humans. On the ground the humans lay defenseless and covered in blood. All in all it was a very descriptive drawing of stick figures. This goblin stood with the other remaining six goblins near the gate. Kirito approached alone. A shout rang out from behind him.

"YOU THERE IN BLACK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING GET BACK IN FORMATION!"

Ignoring the voice he recognized as the blue haired leader's Kirito decided to finish this quick. He dashed forward towards the two right most goblins. Initiating a ‹‹Horizontal›› he swung his blade through both goblin's necks. Their health depleted before they realized what happened Kirito turned to the other three in between him and the captain. He dodged a stab from the closest goblin and hit it with an ‹‹Uppercut›› from his left hand. Knocking that goblin into a short daze Kirito rained down a small combo he had invented. His two slash, one stab combo easily dispatched the goblin.

Over the last month, once Kirito had grown strong enough to start playing around with the goblins he encountered, he began practicing some of the combo's he had witnessed Suguha use before. His high ‹‹STR›› stat powered his strikes enough along with the slight amount of muscle his frame carried. Along with placing his strikes in critical areas, Kirito was good enough to fight within the game not using sword skills. A very valuable skill, especially in a pvp situation. If a player activated a sword skill, you could recognize it and know the pattern, meaning you could be easily countered.

As the goblin fell down to splatter into pixels, Kirito spun left and stabbed the approaching goblin through the collarbone. As the goblin shattered, He managed to whip his sword up in time to parry an incoming dagger. Kirito stepped forward and punched the goblin in the face with a ‹‹Left Straight››. The goblin's nose broke and staggered the creature, Kirito used this to stab the goblin through the heart with a one hit sword skill ‹‹Skewer››. The third goblin downed, he looked at the remaining two.

The leader of the two barked out an order in a harsh language, one Kirito had heard plenty of goblin's use over the last month. Which led him to believe is was some goblin language. The subordinate charged forward at Kirito, intent on killing him. Quickly Kirito met the goblin's leading dagger and parried it hard away, this left the goblin wide open, and Kirito did a ‹‹Roundhouse Kick››, while rather flashy he enjoyed the satisfaction of his foot slamming into the goblin. This blow knocked the small creature to the ground, where Kirito preformed an over exaggerated killing stab.

The goblin captain had stood his ground and watched as Kirito finished the last of his force. The goblin hefted his shield and braced himself for their fight. Kirito's sword glowed green as he prepared his newest sword skill, ‹‹Sonic Leap››. With a flash he leaped forward and rained a heavy hit onto the shield. The goblin weathered the hit and tried to sneak a stab in around his shield.

Kirito had recovered from the sword skill delay, and managed to back away evading the sword. Kirito charged the goblin and over powered it with his body weight. Kirito was on top of the creature and his sword had fallen from his grip. He drew his dagger and stabbed into the goblins eye. Again he gored out the second eye. The goblin did nothing but mimic being in extreme pain. So Kirito finished it with a stab up into his chin.

Kirito stood up and grabbed his sword, then brushed himself off.

"Just what do you think you were doing?"

Came a slightly upset sounding voice from behind him. Kirito glanced over his shoulder. Arrayed before him in the plaza were near 250 players if one were to count. In front stood the blue haired player Kirito assumed to be the leader.

"What did it look like I was doing?"

Kirito shot back in a neutral tone. He had turned around and was now facing the crowd.

"You broke formation and could have been killed. You must have only put points into ‹‹STR›› since you were killing them so quickly. That is a dangerous build to go for."

No longer listening to this player's lecture Kirito was now scanning the crowd. After another couple minutes of pointless droning Kirito interrupted the player.

"Hey so those goblins,"

He now had everyone's attention even though he wasn't talking very loud.

"Was that all the ‹‹First Event›› was? Or do you think those goblins really were just scouts for some larger force?"

The crowd broke out into dozens or conversations. All the groups were talking amongst themselves. Ignoring the sound they made Kirito focused on the blue haired player and made eye contact.

"You."

He said,

"Were you leading all these players?"

"Well of course I, ‹‹The Great Diavel›› led these players in the defense of Aincrad."

Kirito focused above the players head. If someone or something had a title it would display itself above their head.

"The Great huh?"

He replied. Instead of embarrassing the player by asking him more about his nonexistent title. Kirito realized he could still hear the city's alarm blaring on its interval. Kirito decided to speak up again. He gained everyone's attention quickly.

"Considering the alarm is still going off, I would bet the event isn't over. Either there are more on the way or a goblin snuck past you guys somewhere into the city."

Haughtily Diavel responded.

"No goblin could have gotten past the defense we put up. My plan was perfect we defeated them without a single casualty to the raid."

"When you say to the raid did some people die who were not in the raid?"

Kirito asked curiously.

A sad look played across Diavel's face but Kirito noticed a strange glint in his eye.

"Sadly before my group arrived I was told the goblins rushed in through the gate and managed to kill at least thirty players who have decided on a course of no combat. So they had no gear besides the starter gear, in fact most only had cosmetics on. And being only level one they died quickly. But from the ‹‹Plaza of Beginnings›› in the first tier we were able to respond quickly to the threat.

The NPC gate guards never closed the gate and were quickly wiped out by the goblins. When we arrived on the scene I took charge and set up the battle line. The goblins were busy killing off the last couple NPC guards still around and there were no more players still in the plaza, besides one who was screaming how thirty people had just died."

Now up to speed Kirito felt a mixture of pity and rage for the players who died because they didn't take Kayaba's threat seriously.

"Well I guess the city is no longer a safe zone."

Kirito said. The talking over with Kirito decided the event still had more to come. It had been ten minutes since the scouts had been killed.

"I am going to go scout outside the city in case there are more coming. Don't close the gate on me."

Spinning on his heels, his cloak swished out in the air, he strode determinedly out of the city.

'Oh yeah I bet I looked totally bad ass...'

Half way out on the plain surrounding the city Kirito spotted what was coming. He activated his ‹‹Hiding›› and ‹‹Searching›› skills and scanned over what he saw. Arranged in four horizontal lines of eleven blocks each followed by what looked like another block, was 4,500 goblins. This army looked like a major threat to Aincrad.

Each block was 100 goblins strong, 99 of them were named ‹‹Goblin Warrior›› they were level ten and had 1,200 health. Each warrior carried an iron short sword and an oval oak shield. They had an iron cap covering their skulls, and crude looking iron armor across their chest. Their legs and arms were un-armored.

The 100th goblin in each block was named ‹‹Goblin Captain›› they were level fourteen and had 1,800 health. Each one had similar armor but they carried large two-handed maces or axes.

The block at the back is what surprised Kirito though. These mobs stood on average two feet taller than their goblin counterparts. They wore leather armor and left their heads bare. They had pale white unhealthy looking skin with black splotches mixed all over. Their eyes gleamed a dangerous yellow sunk into their lumpy heads. These mobs were named ‹‹Orc Looter››.

They duel wielded vicious looking axes and daggers. Some had two of the same, while others mixed it up. What surprised Kirito was that he had yet to encounter an orc even during the beta. But just looking at them he could tell they were far more dangerous than the goblins they accompanied. He scanned them and saw they were level fifteen and had 2,000 health each. The 100th mob of their group drew Kirito's eye when he noticed him in the middle.

Standing seven feet tall was a monstrous sized creature. This creature was an orc. His name ‹‹Kaznak Orc Scum››. Kirito identified him as the leader of the army by his size and unique name. Scanning him Kirito revealed that Kaznak was level eighteen and had 4,000 health. What was really surprising was that Kaznak carried a cruel looking black longbow. Kirito had never encountered a bow in SAO. On Kaznak's back he could see what looked like a giant war hammer.

Having scouted what was coming Kirito quickly turned around and rushed back to the gate as quickly as he could. Finally he arrived back at the ‹‹East Gate››, panting he ran through the gate and called out for Diavel.

"DIAVEL! WHERE IS DIAVEL?"

His entrance shocked the players that stood around the gate. A quick response halted any further yelling.

"Oh well look here Blacky has returned. And I am right here."

Turning around Kirito saw Diavel and immediately explained what he had seen several minutes ago. A look of terror crossed Diavel's face. Kirito decided to try to help Diavel out with what to do next.

"Look I know you don't seem to like me much but we need to act fast that army will be here very soon. We need to prepare a proper defense and get any able bodied players down here to fight."

Hearing Kirito, Diavel snapped out of his temporary terror.

"Right, LISTEN UP EVERYONE."

He roared gathering the 250 player's attention.

"Ok now that you know what's coming listen to what we need to do. Close and bar the gate with anything you can find. I need players to run to the other gates on the outer tier and make sure they are closed and have someone stay and watch them in case the goblins attack from multiple directions. Also I need anyone who has invested into the ‹‹Throwing›› skill to get up on the wall or gate house. You will provide what little ranged damage you can. I realize most of you probably only have a couple daggers or knives or picks, but every little bit will help."

Diavel instructed and several players wandered off to the wall.

"Everyone who would call themselves a ‹‹Tank›› I want you to form a shield wall just before the gate. We will hold them there if they break the gate. Also I need people to run through the other tiers and find anyone who could throw or fight we need more than 250 players to fight nearly four and a half thousand mobs. It's time the people of Aincrad were roused from their misery and participated to help us all get through these five years."

His rousing speech done Diavel delegated out the tasks he needed completed.

With everything in motion Kirito found himself in the gate house looking down a murder hole above the gate. Currently the remaining 240 player were setting up along the wall or behind the gate preparing to fight the incoming army. Kirito had to admit he had expected people to freak out when they heard what was coming. Every goblin in the attack force was on par level wise with these players or above. If it came to a battle of numbers Kirito realized the players fell far too short. He didn't expect the runners to find many players capable of fighting the force they had to face.

These 250 players had obviously taken Kayaba's threat seriously. And for that Kirito could respect them. He had seen thousands of players in the last two day, and most were still level one in their starter gear or some cosmetic. They seemed to be in denial or were too afraid of dying to try leveling. There were the players who started leveling late or didn't grind very much. They were about levels two to ten. Kirito estimated there were several thousand players in this level range. Then there were the players who just killed boars all day, they all would be way to inexperienced and low leveled to participate.

Preparations as complete as they could be everyone began waiting in silence. Everyone was on edge and nervous. Several player near Kirito tried to lighten the mood with jokes but quickly stopped trying when no one laughed. Suddenly someone on the wall yelled out.

"I see them, it looks like five of those blocks are heading right for the gate."

'500 goblins are heading right for the gate. I hope we make it through this...'

Kirito thought to himself. Before the first goblins made it within throwing range the NPCs from the gate re-spawned. All along the walls NPC archers appeared. Only several appeared near the gate. They were the same as the ones Kirito had seen earlier.

'Why can't these NPC's be as geared as the ones farther into the city.'

He thought slightly angry. The NPC archers gave out cries of distress realizing that the city was under attack. There was around 100 archers now mixed in with the thirty odd players who had the ‹‹Throwing›› skill. Kirito had realized it wasn't a very popular skill. The rest of the goblins could be seen standing in formation outside arrow range waiting their turn to get at the gate.

_Twang_

With near 100 repetitions of that noise the NPC archers released their first volley. Their arrows rained down on the goblin warriors. The shields and armor helped deflect and block the storm that rained down on them. And with the heavy downpour still going on the archer's aim was worse than usual. Kirito had watched as they fired and realized the archers had only managed to kill about twelve goblins. A direct critical hit from one of the arrows only dealt about 50% damage, and besides with most of the arrows not finding their mark the goblins had to be hit several times to be killed.

'I only have four daggers and several dozen throwing picks.'

Kirito knew he had four guaranteed kills with his daggers but he didn't want to throw them down through the murder hole or he would probably never see those daggers again. He planned to use them later if the goblins broke in and he still needed to throw something.

'I hope I can kill them in one hit with these picks.'

With that last thought the goblins entered into the small tunnel that housed the gate. Only three could stand at the gate and have enough room to swing at it at the same time. The players around Kirito began unleashing their hail of knives and picks. Kirito even saw a player throwing rocks.

'Smart but we didn't have time to gather a bunch of rocks beforehand. If we survive through this I will have to remember to recommend that players gather rocks for the next event.'

With the archers still firing down into the mass of goblins that stood shields raised around the gatehouse tunnel and the players raining down bits of metal on them the goblins had taken near 100 casualties so far with minimum damage to the gate. Out of its 5,000 hp the gate was still at 4,830. With the way things had gone so far though he knew the goblins would eventually break through.

Kirito and most of the surrounding players had exhausted their throwing arsenal. Only the rock thrower and three others who it seemed had stocked up on throwing picks to go grind the skill later were still throwing. Beside them now shooting down through the murder holes and out on the walls the archers still stood shooting what seems to be an infinite supply of arrows. Kirito and the others walked out the gate house and about ten feet away to the stair case and went to join the others at the gate. Other players had started to come streaming down to the gate. There now stood about 600 players the front 250 being with Diavel's raid, and the others an assortment of lower levels. All were there to try to help out.

Diavel was busy trying to organize all the new players into concentric rings behind the front line out from the gate. These rings were his plan to hold the goblins at bay so their large numbers couldn't be used to surround or overwhelm the players all at once. The tunnel the gate was in naturally helped with this. His plan was if anyone's health got too low they were to switch out with someone a ring behind them and heal up. Or if the worst happened and a player died the next ring would be there to stop them from running amok.

Their battle formation mostly set, with three rings set up and Diavel working on organizing more, the players could only wait. The gate had fallen to 1,250 now and wouldn't last another fifteen minutes. By now the goblins had lost 430 of their number. The remaining 70 goblins had yet to be reinforced.

'Since these are just NPCs they will fight till the last man. Morale has no effect on them... If those were players attacking the gate no 70 odd men would still be fighting just as hard after watching 430 of their comrades get mown down.'

Kirito thought. He currently found himself within the third ring. The core 250 were farther ahead of him. He had been put in a section of the ring that had no shield users. Next to him stood a player who was taller than him, Kirito could tell he was older as well. He had red hair and a slight beard on his chin. He was very scruffy looking. He wore a red headband and red dyed armor. Next to him stood several guys all colored similarly gear wise.

'A guild I wonder? Back in the beta no one could figure out how to create a guild. I wonder if someone has figured it out since the game launched.'

Broken from his thoughts the bandit looking man next to him said.

"Hey there Blacky that is quite a nice looking sword you have."

Kirito realized the man must just be trying to make small talk and ease the tension a bit. So he responded,

"Yes it was a quest reward... I have... upgraded it quite a bit."

Kirito looked down and saw the man had a katana at his waist.

"Your katana looks to be in good condition."

Chuckling good naturedly the man introduced himself.

"Yes she is a real beauty isn't she? My name is Klein."

He stuck his hand out. Reaching out and grabbing it Kirito felt like he could just talk with this guy. His normal awkwardness and stuttering forgotten he started enjoying this conversation.

"I am Kirito, pleasure to meet you Klein. If you don't mind me asking, are you in a guild with these guys?"

Kirito gestured to the people next to Klein.

"A-hah! Yes! Err well we will be a guild... Once someone figures out how to make one that is."

He replied his normal cheery mood faltering slightly.

_CRACK!_

The resounding noise instantly cut off all conversation amongst the defenders. The gate had broken. Through the dust that had flown up Kirito could make out the shapes of the goblins. Apparently once the first wave had fallen to 50 goblins the second wave which consisted of the remaining six blocks from the first goblin battle line had rushed forward to assist. Right now coming through that tunnel was near 600 goblins. With guttural roars the goblin warriors came streaming in and crashed hard into the front shield wall. Packed in tight in the beginning of the tunnel stood the front line of players.

The front row was kneeling down shields out and swords or daggers ready to be stabbed forward. Directly behind them stood a second line with their shield held up creating a solid defense of shields. These players all held spears in their main hand and were going to stab through the gaps. Behind them stood a line of players ready to switch out with either of the first two rows.

After those three lines, the players were arranged in their concentric circles as there was no more room in the tunnel so the players were out in the plaza.

The first goblins through slammed right into the kneeling line's shields, goblins began to die as they were stabbed. The front line had managed to hold through the weight of the initial charge. Kirito hoped they wouldn't buckle or break from the strain of 600 goblins pressing against them. However, with that said the few that so far had trickled through the gate hole had now become a flood. The goblins pressed their attack trying to overwhelm the players but for the time being they held.

For close to thirty minutes all was going well. The archers had shifted and were now shooting down onto the goblin's backs. The first reinforcement wave had been ground down to a measly 150 goblins. Amazingly no players had died yet and the first three rows had successfully been switching in and out. Kirito imagined some of those players level's must be nearing his now. But that's when everything went wrong.

Another 500 goblins had just thrown themselves from the goblins second battle line. The new weight had thrown off one player during a switch and he had tripped. The player he was supposed to be replacing got caught on him and a goblin dealt a critical blow to the back of the retreating player. His health dived from just above red straight to zero. With the sound of shattering pixels everyone was shocked to witness someone die just like that.

Practically dog piling themselves through the gap, the goblins wrecked the front three lines. The players themselves were exhausted and couldn't adapt to the sudden break in formation. The front line broke and all the players turned and ran the distance of ten feet to the first concentric ring. The ring allowed anyone through that they could.

This ring was a double line of players made up of the original 250 so they were still hardened warriors ready to do what they came here to do. Not frightened recruits called out because their help was needed. Kirito was thankful for that or the entire mass of players might have lost the will to fight right there and ended up with hundreds of players being massacred when the defense broke.

The fleeing players ran through all the concentric rings and Diavel intercepted them. He calmed them down and ushered them over to several of the houses nearby and told them to rest up and recover they were probably be needed soon. Kirito watched as the first ring buckled under the weight of the goblins. But the line held and soon the meat grinder of goblin flesh was underway.

In the first line of defense had been nearly 80 players. Twenty-five had died. The first ring was made up of the other 170 players. The second ring was made up of about 200 recruits and was similarly organized. After that, the third ring had about 220 players. Kirito was near the middle of the third ring. He was near the center of the plaza.

For a good hour the players grinded out the remaining assault and received the next one and were halfway through it. This next wave had been the rest of the second goblin battle line. Around 350 goblins remained attacking. When suddenly the entire third battle line came pouring into the tunnel. Their combined weight staggered the first ring and several players fell to the pressure. Diavel had resumed command from talking to the players who had retreated earlier. He saw what was happening and began ordering players from the second ring forward to fill the gaps. Above the din of the fighting his voice could be heard.

"SECOND RING FILL THOSE GAPS. BUT DON"T COMPLETELY ABANDON THE SECOND RING! THIRD RING FILL SECOND RING'S GAPS! KEEP IT UP BOYS!"

And boys they really were Kirito had realized earlier there wasn't a single girl present among the core 250. Then following them with the odd 400-ish reinforcements there still wasn't a single girl present as far as he could tell. With Diavel's encouragement and planning the first ring managed to hold but they took casualties through it.

Another twenty players had been reduced to death by the fierce fighting the goblins brought upon the first ring. Kirito now found himself at the front of the far left side of the second ring. He was waiting for a chance to switch into the first ring. He had been on the side line to long and he could feel his blood boil at the thought of a great but terrible fight.

He had experienced this before. Whenever he faced an immense battle or a hard challenge his blood would burn through his veins in anticipation. He longed for great battles. When his blood flowed hot like this he found he could think more clearly than he ever could normally and his reaction speed was better. He could anticipate everything as it was happening. This euphoria that was brought onto him led him to fiercely enjoy fighting and he relished it whenever he could. Now he had been held back from the greatest battle within SAO yet for too long.

But he had no such luck yet. His side of the first ring wasn't as hard pressed as the middle or right side. With constant rotations and some luck no one else died while the third goblin battle line was reduced to pixels. Instead of the fourth battle line of goblins rushing through, Kirito saw the group of 99 orc's rush into the tunnel towards them. The players in the first ring were surprised by the speed the orc's ran at and their sudden appearance. They were much faster than the goblins.

Their twisted swords and axes gleamed wet with rain from the torchlight as the sky had continued to pour feverishly during the whole battle. The orcs hit the first ring like a bullet through paper. With agility and strength far superior to that of their inferior goblin comrades the orcs caused near three dozen casualties first ring was completely run through in the middle and luckily for Kirito on the left.

With a great bellow Kirito rushed forward to meet the orc charge. Unnoticed to him he inspired the players surrounding him in the second line and they followed his example battle cries of their own matching the orc's harsh yells. Kirito tore into the lightly armored orcs and started executed medium level sword combo's chaining them together Kirito cut down at least thirty orcs on his own.

The remaining players on his side gave him a wide berth to let him continue his frenzy. On the right side the players had managed to repel the orc charge and were slowly grinding them down. In the middle was chaos. The second ring had managed to close down the orc charge and keep it from spreading down the first ring. However the damage had been done and the first ring had taken heavy damage.

The orc's didn't last long as they were much more about offense then defense and as such the solid defense put off by the players managed to thwart them after their charge had been reigned in. Now formed back up, the first ring was solid once again. Kirito was in the front on the left side. His initial excitement at finally being able to participate in the battle had now turned to determination as there were still plenty mobs to defeat. He wanted to save as many player's lives as he could and he knew that throwing himself completely into the fight would accomplish that.

The second ring was formed up behind the first while the remnants of the third ring just kind of stood around. As they were the reserves there were only around forty of them left. The players from the initial first part of the defense that had been resting had rejoined the fight during the orc's attack and were mixed in with the first and second ring.

There however, wasn't time to rest as hundreds of goblins came rushing down the tunnel and into the plaza to fight the defenders. Several players died during this fight, none were on Kirito's side. Kirito had managed to draw the goblins ire and was the center of many of the goblin's agro. By the time this wave of goblins had been dealt with Kirito found himself to be level twenty two from having slain so many goblins. And the orc's xp helped as well. There was a lull in the assault and Kirito quickly spent the points he had earned for leveling. All among the concentric rings, players could be seen doing something similar.

Before they could do anything else an arrow wizzed down the tunnel and hit a player in the face. The large black painted arrow was still stuck in the players head as he was reduced to zero hp. He died without even knowing why. This sudden appearance had surprised the remaining defenders if the many startled cries of shock were anything to judge by.

"The boss has a longbow! Watch out!"

Kirito yelled remembering what he saw from scouting. Another arrow wizzed down the tunnel, this time it met a player's shield and safely ricocheted off to the ground. Kirito was glad the tunnel didn't point his way as the left side of the first ring, and didn't line up with the tunnel. With a roar 100 goblins ran down the tunnel. Followed by the large black shafted arrows.

Several players in the middle were unable to fight and protect themselves from arrows at the same time so they fell to the menacing shots. But otherwise the 100 goblins were easily dealt with. Everyone still on the defense had figured out their attack patterns and tells for what they were about to do making them easy to predict.

With another glass shattering roar the boss came thundering down the tunnel. His bow had been discarded and he now wielded his war hammer. He crashed into the shields of the middle and rent the defenders apart. Kaznak sped right into the second ring and kept going. He effectively made a path right through the defenders. And through that path came the remaining 200 goblins. 50 of the goblins had torches in their hand instead of swords. How those torches were still lit was beyond Kirito as the rain was still relentlessly pouring. It was late evening at this point and the rain added an awful chill.

Seeing Kaznak tear through at least fifteen player like wet tissue paper caused several players to start running. The goblins had either engaged the first and second rings or if they had a torch they had ran through and were now in the plaza. They ran to different sides of the plaza and started lighting the houses on fire by throwing their torches through windows. At least thirty five houses and two inns sprang up in a giant blaze. The plaza was now illuminated in the dancing light of the fires.

No one had yet to engage Kaznak and he continued to wipe through the right side of the second ring. Kirito knew what he had to do. He quickly dispatched the goblins in his path. When he was fifteen feet away from Kaznak he threw his first dagger. It stuck high into Kaznak's left shoulder, Kirito repeated the process and hit high on the right shoulder. Being the only one to deal even an insignificant amount of damage to the boss Kirito drew agro.

Kaznak let loose a deafening roar of pain. He turned and his eyes alighted on Kirito. War hammer held high above his head Kaznak leaped the distance between them, intent on smashing Kirito through the ground. Kirito quickly rolled out of the way. Coming up on Kaznak's right Kirito initiated a quick four hit combo. Landing each hit freely Kirito jumped back a bit for space after his last strike. Kaznak had been frozen slightly for using such a high level hammer skill and missing.

Kaznak now had about 3,800 health. After recovering he attempted to play whack a mole with Kirito but each time Kirito managed to slip away and then deal some damage to Kaznak. Kirito had single handedly managed to reduce Kaznak to 2,800 health when other players joined him.

They had managed to finish off the last of the goblins. To Kirito it seemed only players with spears or pikes were willing to attack the boss. They each would run in and stab the boss while he was frozen from trying to smash Kirito then they would run out. This continued till the boss had 100 health left. He somehow faked a frozen moment then when players rushed in he spun his hammer like a helicopter and killed the four players that had rushed him and knocked Kirito back. Kirito had taken a glancing blow from the war hammer but his health had fallen into the red.

'Holy shit!'

He mentally exclaimed.

'The boss hits like a truck!'

The boss continued his spinning and no one was able to get close to him. But the boss was moving around so players were fleeing from his seemingly unstoppable attack. Kirito took out his upgraded dagger and activated a throw. The dagger span circles on itself as it aimed for the boss's head. With the sound of metal striking bone and flesh, Kirito's dagger sunk into the boss's skull.

_Congratulations you got the last attack bonus!_

A window appeared in front of Kirito informing him of his achievement. Another window appeared showing him all the loot he had received over the course of the long fight. And a third window appeared showing him what he received from killing the boss and what the last attack bonus actually was.

Quickly standing up Kirito walked over to the dagger which had fallen to the ground with his other two and he knelt and picked them up. Spinning on his heels he strode from the plaza. All the other players were in shock or too busy celebrating to notice his departure. Kirito had just immediately minimized the windows. He felt the need to leave the plaza. Then walking to an inn located in an adjacent district, Kirito checked himself to bed and passed out, his exhaustion from fighting finally catching up.

* * *

Well, that is the conclusion to the first event. Each event will be considered its own "Arc". So that's the end of Arc One.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Please feel free to leave a review or write me a PM with any questions, comments, or ideas. I enjoy receiving them. I try my best to always reply.


	4. Second Event Arc: Ch 4

Yo,

Time for chapter four. Please enjoy

* * *

_December 7, 2025  
Third Tier, South District Inn_

A blob of black could be found curled up in a bed within a random inn. This blob was Kirito. After the hectic event yesterday he had immediately walked over here and passed out from exhaustion. He had no real idea of the damage to the city or how many players lost their lives in its defense. But when he eventually wakes up he plans to find out. Besides that, on his to do list is to examine all the loot he got yesterday. He didn't even know what the rare drop for the last attack bonus was.

Kirito had not slept well last night. Nightmares of goblins breaking down his inn door and killing him, and other such vicious events plagued him. He had shoved the thoughts of watching players cut down around him to a far corner of his mind. It was slightly traumatic but he didn't think it really meant much to him.

'If they really had wanted to survive, they would have been better, stronger. Kayaba made it pretty clear if you ask me.'

He sat down on his bed and quickly opened his menu and scrolled to the food section. He materialized some bread and quickly scarfed it down. Then chased it with his water canteen.

While eating Kirito opened the windows from yesterday. The first one was just a congratulatory statement telling him he got the last attack bonus drop. He closed that and opened the window that showed the drop.

‹‹Orc Longbow››

'What!? A bow?'

Kirito thought in surprise.

'There was never a mention of bows that a player could use in the beta. But maybe it is a rare skill that gets unlocked when a player equips a bow?'

A large greedy smile crossed his face.

'Either way I bet anyone would pay hundreds of thousands of col for this beauty. I'm gonna be so filthy rich.'

If one were to walk past his room they would hear a very creepy self-satisfied laugh echoing from it.

Kirito accepted the item and then began to scan through all the common drops he got from killing the goblins and orcs. He got nothing special besides large amounts of low quality gear and some mats, and a great deal of col as well. That was when he noticed the message icon. Tapping it he found a message from Argo.

_Hey Kirito!_

_Whenever your lazy ass wakes up message me, we need to talk._

_K bye!_

_-Argo_

"Meeehh. Why does she need to see me?"

Kirito said out loud. With a quick back and forth the two agreed to meet for lunch in an hour at a bakery in the south-west district of the third tier.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_An hour later  
Aincrad Third Tier, Dough'nt Take My Word For It_

Kirito saw the name of the bakery and chuckled slightly.

'Really, why would someone name their bakery that?'

Walking in he saw Argo sitting at a small two person table. He walked up and sat down across from her. The bakery was small on the inside. There were several tables set up but mostly the interior was dominated by the counter and behind it the door the must have led to the kitchen.

"Hey there Argo, how is it going?"

Argo was a short girl with brown hair that fell down to her shoulders. Her bangs hung just above her eyes. Which were a deep chocolate brown. She had three whisker marks on each side of her face. And she wore a large brown cloak with a hood that helped her blend into a crowd. She was an information broker. There weren't a lot of them in SAO maybe five to six, but Argo was the best.

Most players knew that, and her business flourished compared to others. She buys and sells information to a large portion of the player base. Even only after thirty days her competition was floundering. She and Kirito had met during the beta and Kirito had added her to his friends list realizing she was his best bet whenever he wanted to learn something or needed to sell something without going to a player merchant. For some reason beyond Kirito, she had taken a liking to him more so than her normal customers.

She gave him a million watt smile and said.

"Rumor on the street Kirito is that a player dressed in black with a nice shiny sword was the one who practically solo'ed the boss yesterday and got the last hit on him. So I am curious if this game has a last attack bonus drop? And if so what did you get? I already know it was you. No one else is reckless enough to solo a boss."

Kirito sighed. Of course his deed would be a huge new rumor.

'But then again how bad ass did I look? Right? Must have been pretty bad ass…'

"Uhh? Kirito? You there? Stop spacing."

"Huh? OH yeah Argo. Err ya you know me. If it looks cool I am there doing it. You give me 200 col and I will give you my inside scoop on this. What do ya say?"

"You know just what to say to me don't you Kirito. Alright here."

With that Kirito opened a trade window and Argo sent him 200 col.

"Ok now spill, did you get something?"

"To answer your question, yes I did. However if you want an answer to what it is I will charge you another 50 col if you help me find a buyer for it. Otherwise I will charge ya 1000 col to just find out."

Answered Kirito.

"Kirito! Aww damn it! No fair you were supposed to tell me for the 200."

She pouted. Her bottom lip was curled out and she stared Kirito down with the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster.

Kirito quickly glanced away, he knew his resolve would crumble if he looked at her pout for too long.

"Not happening, pay me another 50 col and we can keep this talk going."

"Boo hoo."

Came her reply as she gave him another 50 col.

"Anyway, of course I would help you sell it, assuming I can take 15% of the sale."

"Five."

Was all she got in reply.

"Fine, 10% or you can go find someone else to help you sell it."

"Alright, alright, alright already. Stop pouting at me. So you ready to see what I got?"

He took a pause and waited till she nodded her head. Kirito leaned in so no one could hear.

"I got a bow..."

"WHAT!"

"Yeah it's named ‹‹Orc Longbow››. I didn't even know there were equip-able bows in the game. But it must be that bow the boss was shooting with. Hey, anyway Argo what happened after I killed the boss yesterday. I just left right away I was too tired to focus and I needed to sleep."

Argo had a calculative look on her face. She was clearly scheming on how to maximize the bow's sale price. Kirito snapped his fingers in front of her face to get her attention. Then he asked her about what happened after he left again.

"Oh after you left..."

_Flashback to yesterday  
Argo's POV_

Argo found herself situated on top of a house about 100 feet away from where the boss was currently spinning like a top. She was cold and soaking wet but she knew tomorrow she would have information to sell about this event. The rain didn't block her vision too badly but it was hard to see clearly in the darkness that only a few torches and several burning buildings illuminated.

She watched as someone clad in black fought the boss solo till others had eventually mustered their courage to help. Then she watched as that player continued to fight the boss till he began spinning. In a brief flash of panic she worried the boss might kill more people with his endless spin. Till she saw the player in black throw a shining dagger that glinted in the torch light.

It struck true and dropped the boss. The player in black walked over grabbed his daggers from the disintegrating corpse. Then stumbled away before anyone could congratulate him. As everyone else was busy cheering and celebrating. One player ran up towards the second tier gate. Thousands of players were waiting just behind the gate ready to make a last stand if the defenders below failed.

With a shout he alerted every one of the success and the gate was slammed open and the players washed down the street with the intent to smother the defenders and show them just how happy they were for their success.

Argo watched for an hour as everyone celebrated in the square down below. Eventually people realized that the fire had spread and dozens of houses and several inns had burnt down. No one had any idea how to counter the fire so it just burned its course and sputtered out from the heavy downpour. But no matter what ended the fire it had still managed to burn down a chunk of the eastern section of the third tier.

The gate there was in shambles as well. The rain continued pounding down harder than ever. Sick of it, everyone dispersed and went to find a place to sleep. Argo went up to the Memorial Slab and read the counter.

Before the battle there had been 38,993 players left alive. Afterwards there was 38,857. 136 people had been killed. While very sad, if those people hadn't put their lives on the line against the first event, then potentially thousands of players could have been caught unaware and massacred. Argo did some simple math and realized that if around the same number died each time they would lose close to 8,000 people minimum. She hoped that wouldn't be the case, as that would be a tragic loss of life. And it would really make getting out of here alive impossible.

_End Flashback_

"Wow, so 136 people died yesterday?"

Kirito asked stunned. He knew a lot of people died. But that was still a large number.

Completely unknown to he both of them the owner of the bakery had listened in on the story and had gleaned that the boy sitting there was the boy in black from the story.

"Uhhhm... Excuse me, I'm extremely sorry to interrupt, but the boy from that story, it was you? Yes?"

Asked a feminine voice. Her question startled both of them out of their reverie.

Looking embarrassed Kirito scratched the back of his neck and said.

"Err... Well yeah that was me I guess..."

"Wow"

The girl answered with huge eyes. Kirito noticed she had vibrant brown/orange eyes. A nice chestnut color really. He was so busy checking her out that he completely missed her next question. The girl saw that he hadn't heard her but she had no idea how to get his attention. Thankfully for her Argo kicked Kirito's shin under the table.

"OWW!"

He exclaimed. He glared at Argo. Seeing that the boy wasn't distracted anymore the bakery owner tried asking her question again.

"Umm, excuse me, but can I get you anything to eat? It is on the house as a thanks for what you did yesterday."

Kirito snapped his gaze back to the girl and took in the rest of her features. He placed her as maybe a year or two older then himself. She had very long hair the flowed down her back in the same color as her eyes. She had a very pretty pale complexion, with a very pretty face. She was a healthy weight maybe slightly skinny and certainly wasn't lacking in the goods department. Finally registering her question Kirito answered.

"Err, hmm yeah sure, miss...?"

"Oh please call me Asuna. That's my name and this is my bakery! So what can I get for you...?"

"Oh sorry, my name is Kirito, I am glad your nice to bake you…"

Kirito realized he had just twisted to sentences and face palmed.

'Once again my talent for speaking showcases itself before a pretty girl…'

Asuna stared and then started giggling. Flustered Kirito pointed at Argo.

"This is Argo!"

He all but shouted.

"Nice to meet you Argo. Can I take your guy's orders now?"

Kirito quickly scanned the menu while Argo rattled off a greeting and an order. Then Kirito indicated he wanted a croissant.

"Oh yes croissants, I have several of those and they are very freshly baked, I will be right back with them. Oh and your tea as well.

Kirito looked at Argo and saw her smirking at him deviously. "What's with the look Argo?" He asked.

Argo let a chuckle out and mimicked his voice.

"I am glad your nice to bake you."

Kirito immediately turned red and started spluttering.

"Shut up Argo."

He eventually growled. Which she just started laughing at.

"Why didn't you just order all you can eat? Maybe she would have included herself into the buffet?"

Again Kirito lit up like a stop sign. And Argo's laughter returned.

'Dam Argo and her teasing! This is why she is the worst person to hang out with.'

Asuna returned with their orders. She set a pot of tea on their table and placed a cup down for each of them. Then she set a plate with two croissants in front of Kirito. He dropped his col on the table, snatched the pastries and stormed out of the bakery.

As the door shut a confused Asuna turned to look at Argo

"Oh my, what was that about?"

"Don't worry about it. He needed to be somewhere. Can I get a breakfast scone to go with this tea?"

Argo ate her breakfast in silence as she began sending out messages trying to get a feel for anyone who might be willing to purchase the bow. Then she could begin upping their offers against one another. She intended to get somewhere are 100,000 col for this unique item.

_With Kirito_

'Hmm these croissants are pretty good. Oh well. At least I am not with Argo anymore.'

Kirito thought as he finished off the last bite. Kirito was making his way toward Liz's shop. He wanted to get his gear repaired before setting out. Then he needed to visit Agil to unload his gear drops from the event.

While chatting with Liz, she told him of a tailor she knew about who was at least at 200/1000. So Kirito popped over to the women's shop. Turns out she was able to add the ‹‹Small Chest›› upgrade to his campsite. So he went and stocked up on some non-perishable food in case hunting was scarce in the deeper parts of the ‹‹Northern Forest›› and he set out towards the northern gate.

As Kirito approached the gate he could hear a whinnying sound like a horse, but he chalked it up to a caravan coming in. But when he walked out the gate he saw a fully-fledged stable that had seemingly sprung up overnight. Kirito decided to investigate. He found a merchant who it turns out was selling horses as mounts. Kirito bought one for 4,000 col. Which nearly tapped him dry of col. He was given a manual on how to use a horse.

_Mounts_

_Horses are the most common and cheapest mount available in the game. Purchasing a horse unlocks the ‹‹Mount›› skill. Mounts may be ridden anywhere besides inside buildings and caves. If a mount's hp reaches zero it cannot be summoned again for one day and you must got pay a fee to the stable. Otherwise you may leave a mount tied up in any relatively safe place, it can stay there indefinitely. Once summoned it will appear from where ever you left it._

_To summon simply call out this phrase ‹‹I summon thee (insert mount's name here)›› Mount's do not require food or water when tied up, and they do not need to sleep. However when summoned they need to eat before any amount of riding. You only need to feed them once a day to ride it during that day. They have unlimited stamina and can continue at their max speed indefinitely. You must name your mount before you may ride it._

Kirito had bought a medium sized black horse. It was pitch black and very healthy looking. The ‹‹Mount›› skill popped into his skill list and was 1/1000. He named the horse Midnight and with that he mounted it. Thankfully for him in SAO there were two methods to riding a mount. You could be in total control, which is only recommended if you actually know how to ride a horse. Or you can be in assisted mode where the horse is much simpler to control. Responded to verbal commands. It is however recommended that a player learns to be in total control as verbal commands offer less control but more ease of use for beginners.

'I am going to learn how to ride this guy properly before I head in to the forest I think.'

And with that Kirito switched to real life control and began a very painful stretch of three days learning a solid foundation of how to ride his horse. He used the lumber camp as a base of operations and pretty much just spent all day riding till he was able to handle it pretty well.

After three days he was at least able to ride in a straight line without falling off. So he decided to head off northward into the forest. He didn't have any more time to waste trying to ride Midnight.

* * *

AN: Woo hoo! ‹‹Mount›› is just one of several other original skills I plan to implement into my story.

I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a review, send me a pm or anything. I am always looking for feedback. And I try my best to always respond.


	5. Second Event Arc: Ch 5

Yo, welcome to chapter 5.

* * *

_Rhewi Mountain Range Foothills  
December 13th_

Kirito had finally come out of the ‹‹Northern Forest››. He had spent three days travelling deeper into the forest and trying to learn how to ride at the same time. Eventually he had come across a clearing in what he assumed to be the center of the forest.

_Flashback_

Kirito knew he was far into the forest. The further in he got the better his control of his horse had become. He now felt confident enough to weave between trees quickly. The mobs had left him alone as he travelled. The difference in level's scaring them off. The trees were so thick around him he couldn't see the sky. The clock on the menu screen kept him on a regular sleep cycle.

Eventually he entered into a large clearing. His location changed to ‹‹Heart of the Forest››. The remarkable thing wasn't the clearing, or the name of it but what filled the clearing. There was several dozen wagons pulled by horses and nearly 100 npcs milling about the wagons. As Kirito approached several of the men stepped into his path. Their nameplates read ‹‹Merchant››. When they got within speaking distance both groups stopped. One of the npcs spoke.

"You there stranger. Do you mean harm to our group?"

He had a deep gruff voice and a full beard. All the npcs were dressed as if they had come from a very cold place. Kirito assumed the mountain range he saw beyond the forest must be very cold.

"No, I was just travelling in this direction and found this clearing."

The npcs seemed to understand most of what he said so it replied.

"Well if you are going to continue north you should wear warmer clothing. We have just set out on a journey to sell our wares. If you are interested please come browse and you might find some equipment to help keep you warm."

Kirito smiled and agreed and followed the npcs back to their wagons. When he got there he was set upon by almost the entire group who were all eager to sell their individual products to the traveler. Kirito asked for space and the npcs complied. He then began to slowly go around in the circle and inspect each merchant's wares. All their products were named something of the affect, ‹‹Graig xxx››, like ‹‹Graig Leather Cap›› and ‹‹Graig Iron Sword››. Kirito decided to ask what he was wondering. Looking at one of the older merchants he said.

"Why do all your wares have the name Graig?"

The npc woman smiled at him and replied.

"We are from the town of Graig, it is within a valley in the Rhewi Mountains."

Her answer shocked Kirito, at this point he had come to honestly believe the only town, city, or village within the game was Aincrad. Kirito was broken from his thoughts when the npc asked him if he wanted to purchase anything. After finishing his survey of all the merchants' wares. Kirito ended up buying some ‹‹Graig Throwing Pick››. He bought 20.

When thrown, a weapon has a 10% chance of being retrievable. But the higher you go in the throwing skill the higher the percent chance of retrieval. Kirito had been surprised when he had managed to get all his daggers back from the first event. He was only just over 200/1000 on his throwing skill so he only had a 20% chance to get them back. He couldn't wait to be at 1000/1000 and have a 100% chance.

The Graig version of the throwing pick had a different style. Instead of looking like a large iron nail as the standard ones appeared. The Graig ones were larger and heavier. They didn't have the circle on the back like the standard ones either. It was fletched like an arrow at the base. In total these picks were about six inches long compared to the four inch long standard picks. They also dealt nearly twice the damage of a standard pick. When he finished his purchase the npc looked at him and spoke.

"Young traveler. My husband makes those darts. We are both very old. My husband never took an apprentice and he will most likely be dead by the time I return from this trip. He wished for me to pass on the recipes to craft his work. So I humbly ask you to take this recipe and give it to one who you know can do the most good with these."

Kirito was stunned but accepted. This npc had just given him a recipe to craft throwing picks that were basically twice as good as the regular ones. The woman spoke again.

"All I ask is that you keep the name of Graig with them. Let all know where the picks originated from."

Kirito ended up also buying a heavy fur coat, a large fur hat and a sturdy pair of boots. The coat would just cover his armor and still allow his cloak to be on, while the hat wasn't a problem either. He would have to replace the boots he wore but the new ones had better stats anyway. Kirito also bought a pair of thick gloves.

He restocked his food and some grains for Midnight. Kirito spent the rest of the day in the clearing. It had been early evening when he first entered and he had no problem trying to squeeze any info he could out of the merchants. What he did find out is that they were heading to Aincrad to sell, and try to re-establish official connection between the two settlements. As such there were several Graig diplomats along for the ride. They also mentioned something about plans for "easier travel" between the two places should the two become friends.

Kirito took this to mean something along the lines of a player or several player reaching a ‹‹Friend›› status in terms of Graig reputation. Already Kirito could see from mingling and buying from the group he had a new bar in his reputation section labeled ‹‹Graig›› and he was labeled ‹‹Neutral›› Kirito was 150/1000. At 1000/1000 he would move up to ‹‹Acquaintance›› 1/1000. It would be a long grind to get near ‹‹Ally›› or even ‹‹Kindred››.

The next morning came quickly and before leaving Kirito asked for directions to Graig. He was told to jump continue in a straight line north from here. Graig was located in a valley and had a road leading to it from the forest's edge.

_End Flashback_

Now Kirito found himself outside the forest. He had found the remains of an old worn out and overgrown cobble road leading out of the forest and had followed it. He hadn't run into any mobs and he had come out of the forest in decent time. He now felt secure enough to ride his horse without any voice commands.

When he emerged from the forest he had found himself looking at a maze of brown hills that led up to the large mountain range he had been heading towards. He checked his location and found that the mountain range was named Rhewi. The road he had been on continued out of the forest and into the hills. Along the way he spotted bears roaming the hills and decided to investigate. He got off Midnight as he didn't want to risk losing his mount for the rest of the day and left him on the path. He then crouched and walked towards a large brown bear.

‹‹Rhewi Yearling›› The name surprised Kirito.

'This bear is only one year old? Just how big do they get?'

For this one year old bear was already the size of a full grown massive Kodiak grizzly. Kirito ‹‹Scanned›› it and found it was level 20 and it had 2,000 hp. Compared to Kirito who was level 22 and had 3,550 hp. It could be a close fight.

'Well these mobs should really help me level up.'

Since a mob's xp reward is scaled off their difficulty and their level. Having seen the importance of a strong throwing skill. Kirito began the fight with one of his new picks and then raced towards the bear who was currently on its hind legs roaring its anger after being struck in the side with a pick.

Kirito initiated a ‹‹Sonic Leap›› and came down with all his weight behind the sword blade on the bear's back right leg. He sliced clean through it and his sword embedded itself into the soft loam that covered these hills. Kirito easily yanked his sword out and finished the bear with a strong downward stab into the rear of the downed animal's skull.

"Sweet."

Kirito said out loud. He went back to Midnight then brought him to one of the trees on the forest's edge and tied him up. With one last pat on the neck Kirito bid farewell to Midnight and went off to do battle with the bears in the area. He figured as long as he kept the road in sight he would wind up at Graig eventually. And he really needed to start grinding mobs again or he wouldn't be strong enough for the coming event.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_December 16__th__  
Graig _

After several days of wandering the foothills and hunting the bears and the occasional orc camp, Kirito found his himself before the gate of Graig. Two large cliffs flanked the valley on either side. There was a stone wall that stretched the length of the entrance with a giant stone gatehouse tower over a very thick stone door. Npc guards patrolled along the walls.

The weather had gotten cold quickly once Kirito could no longer see the forest. Smatterings of snow could be found here and there. A harsh wind would blow through his coat every now and then giving him a strong chill. It was much more reflective of the time of year here then back down near Aincrad.

The guards had large halberds and wore heavy furs. Kirito couldn't tell whether they wore armor underneath but he would guess they did. There was a stable outside of the gate. As Kirito approached the gate he heard a loud war horn blare out behind him. He saw all the npcs freeze. Then they immediately started scrambling every which way. One npc who was dressed differently appeared above the gatehouse and began shouting commands.

The stable master got the help of several of the soldiers and they grabbed all his horses' reins and hurriedly rushed them through the gate. Upon a closer look Kirito could see large scorch marks on the stable and chunks of the dirt around the gate were torn up along with burned patches of grass.

Turning around Kirito saw several dozen, probably 50 in all, orcs rushing down a hill in his directions. The part that got to Kirito however was how they all had a short bow in their hands. Kirito was well aware that he was nearly in their range. So he turned tail and sprinted towards the gate of Graig. Kirito watched as he got closer how the gates started to close.

The last of the horses and npcs were through and the npcs either didn't care about Kirito or their programming hadn't noticed him yet. Even though he put nearly half of his points into his ‹‹agi›› stat Kirito still wasn't fast enough to close the distance in time. Kirito knew he was a strong and skilled player. But he really doubted he could charge down 50 archers that were around his level and defeat even half of them before he would die. So Kirito ran as fast as he could to the gate and yelled up at the commanding npc who still stood there.

"HEY OPEN UP!"

The npc took notice of him and stared at him blankly for several seconds. He then turned and gazed at the oncoming orcs. Then he looked back and Kirito and winked.

'...Did he just ...wink at me?'

Kirito was really confused. Why would an npc wink at him? Much less in this situation. But before Kirito could worry anymore, a hailstorm of arrows came from the walls and slaughtered 3/4's of the oncoming orcs. The survivors continued on with no fear and were quickly downed by a 2nd volley. The npc on the wall began laughing at Kirito.

"Oohh Laddie,"

The commander got out in between fits of laughter.

"You should have seen your face when I winked at you."

The npc burst into a new fit of laughter and was now joined by more npcs who appeared and looked down at Kirito. These npcs had strong Scottish accents and Kirito was completely baffled. After about 30 more seconds of laughing the npc commander managed to tell them to open the gate and then he left to come down to greet Kirito. As the gate opened the commander strolled forth flanked by several guards. Behind them followed the stable master and the guards who helped him. They were leading the horses back.

"Welcome to Graig, Stranger. Sorry to give ya a right scare there but I couldn't help myself. I get so little chance for humor these days and those orcs were never going to get close enough to hurt ya. But we don't get many visitors here. In fact we haven't had a visitor in years."

With that the npc stared at Kirito.

Kirito saw his nameplate and it read ‹‹Gatehouse Commander››. Kirito then spoke up.

"My name is Kirito, and I am an adventurer from Aincrad. I ran into a group of merchants from Graig on my way through the forest and they told me I could stop here while I am in the area."

The guards looked at him with surprise on their faces. The commander spoke up again.

"Aincrad you say? We haven't heard anything from Aincrad in years. I almost thought it had been wiped off the map or something. But these are some dangerous times to be travelling here. Orcs from further north in the mountains have been raiding the area. All our farmers who worked beyond the walls have either been killed or run back behind the wall. Now the orcs watch the gate and as far as I can tell are gathering for an assault on us. We managed to sneak those merchants off south."

The surrounding npcs had stopped listening and had gone back to their normal tasks. But the commander continued speaking to Kirito.

"For some reason the orcs won't go into the forest. We are hoping the diplomats can recruit us help from Aincrad. Within several weeks I fear they will mount an assault that we won't be able to withstand without help. But hey you look like a warrior, would you be willing to help us drive these orcs off somewhat? The least it could do is delay them for longer. You would be greatly rewarded for your bravery."

'Hmm this must be some kind of quest chain. I definitely need something to do, as long as I don't have to fight groups of 50 at once I should be fine. Who knows maybe being the first to do this will reward me with something unique.'

"I will gladly help out the town of Graig, and your rewards are greatly appreciated. I need to restock then I will be back later if that is fine with you."

The npc understood that Kirito had accepted so he gave Kirito the quest.

"Thank you warrior of Aincrad, to the east of here you will find a large camp of orcs. They have about a dozen wargs there. These wargs are large evil wolves that are bred by orcs as mounts. If you could infiltrate and kill these wargs then the orcs would lose a great asset in their mobility. Also they have all their supplies stocked in a single tent. Burn that tent down and the orcs will be in a dire situation."

Kirito verbally accepted the quests and saw there were several bonus quests alongside it. One was to kill 100 orcs around the camp. The other was to kill their leader, ‹‹War Chief Ulgud››.

Kirito then walked past the guards and went into the valley. The cliffs were high on both sides, as if Kirito were walking into a giant crack in the earth. They were very narrow just past the gate. Wide enough for four men to walk side by side. After a short walk through this tight section, Kirito entered into a wide open valley.

Houses were piled up the cliff sides and a large section of the valley was farmland as a river ran through a section of the valley making a waterfall as it entered and left. Kirito found several other quests while inside the town. Some people wanted him to collect certain things they had left behind in their haste to flee the orcs. Others needed certain herbs that grew outside of the town. One man wanted the head of a certain orc who had kill his wife. Another had heard Kirito was going to kill the wargs and asked if he could bring back their hides and teeth.

Kirito found the blacksmith whose wife he met in the caravan. The husband gave him a discount on a bulk order of throwing picks once he heard how Kirito had the recipe.

The npc was very kind, but Kirito was no craftsmen himself. So he had to turn the man down when asked if he wanted to learn the several other tricks to the trade. Kirito found a nice general store and bought himself more food. He found a place to vendor off all his loot and he kept some of the better items to sell at Agil's when he returned.

All stocked up Kirito ventured back to the gate. He walked down the road to the top of the hill several hundred feet away from the gate and when he looked outwards to the east he saw the camp a good couple miles away. Kirito let a smile grace his lips as he imagined the great battles he was going to engage in to clear that camp of its quests. Giving out the call he summoned Midnight, fed him quickly then mounted and spurred himself forwards.

* * *

AN: Whelp that's chapter five hope you enjoyed it.

Feel free to leave a review, write me a pm, or anything else. I always enjoy the feedback from you guys. And I try my best to respond to everyone.


	6. Second Event Arc: Ch 6

Yo, time for chapter 6.

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_December 25th_

_2:00pm_

_Bing!_

_Dearest Kirito,_

_Merriest Christmas to you Kirito. Since this is a day to give gifts I have a little freebie for you. Today a special holiday event is going on. This merchant caravan that arrived and set up shop inside the north gate won't shut up about it. Apparently if you head up to the tallest peak in the ‹‹Rhewi Mountains››, you will find a unique mob and it will drop a unique item. I know you are in that general area, so be safe for me please, after all I still need to get rich from selling that bow of yours. _

_~Too de loo~  
Argo_

_Bing!_

_Hi Kirito,_

_This is Liz, I haven't seen you come by the shop? I thought you would need an upgrade or at least a repair by now? You better not have been using another player smith. Anyway, too many future business dealings and col. Merry Christmas._

_-Liz_

_December 25th_  
_11:30pm_

_Bing!_

_Argo,_

_Merry Christmas, I beat the mob, it was actually a swarm type and was 30 little green and yellow monsters labeled ‹‹Angry Christmas Elf›› they were really quick and put out some high damage compared to their appearance, but they were like one hit kills, so I dealt with them pretty easily. It helped I was way above their level. Each one actually dropped a small bag each. And I got a reward for killing all 30 myself, which was a big present box. But you will have to wait to find out what I got. He he._

_-Kirito_

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_December 30th  
Graig_

The npc warriors of Graig had a very routine day. They stood 24/7 in the same spot or pathed the same perimeter. Until their possible death to hostile npcs. Not very glamorous. They had only three responses to any form of dialogue addressed to them and they didn't react otherwise to anything that wasn't a hostile mob. However one among them was different.

Not to say this npc was buggy or corrupted, he was working exactly as intended. He was to blend into the guards and when a certain set of events transpired it was his job to sabotage the gate closing mechanism. The back story for this particular npc could be considered lengthy, and it was possible to read it all, but a quick summary would be that he was bought to be a turncoat by some very rich orcs.

Well today was the day. His conditions had been met and an event was about to take place. Not one of the grand events Kayaba had planned, this was a minor event but, it had a possible chance to effect the town of Graig greatly. And to an extent the remaining 38,000+ players. Normally this event was expected to be dealt with by a large group of players. But nothing ever actually works as intended.

Kirito had no idea what was going on. He could see the walls of Graig in the distance. He had just finished grinding mobs and completing the final quest chain he could find in Graig. He had been tasked to slaughter a tribe of cave dwelling goblins that rode large centipedes on the cave walls. Naturally the centipedes had large poisonous spines it could control near its mouth. This poison melted the insides of its target so the centipede could slurp its meal out. Go figure the arrows the goblins fired were coated with the same poison.

The tribe had been attempting to mine through the valley wall straight into Graig. Kirito had collapsed the cave by burning all the wooden supports down and then barely escaped the following cave in. He exited only to find an orc war band gathered outside preparing to enter the tunnel and pillage Graig. Kirito caught the sentries' attention and the war band was roused from their tents.

Kirito had fled immediately and fought off his pursers for a while before the orcs gave up. They couldn't attack Graig now so Kirito didn't think he needed to try to kill them all. High up in the mountains as he was Kirito was quickly chilled to the bone form the cold. His adrenaline rush from encountering the orcs had died off. He realized he hadn't the time to re-equip his winter jacket. Kirito donned his jacket and summoned Midnight to begin the ride back to Graig. He couldn't wait to get back and sleep. He needed the mental rest sleep provided in this game.

So when Kirito saw the normally routine npcs of Graig frantically running about, his weariness did not improve. Approaching the gate on the road he saw numerous npc warriors in front of the gate primed for a fight. The ‹‹Gatehouse Commander›› was bellowing orders left and right, and several of the npcs he recognized as smiths were inspecting the gate wench.

As Kirito had to turn his last quest into the commander he was at least relieved he didn't have to go up into the commander's room atop the wall. Those stairs were really steep and icy. Kirito approached the yelling npc and got his attention. The npc was well aware of who Kirito was as he had sent the player on plenty of quests.

"Kirito!"

He exclaimed looking relieved.

"I went to the cave and found them digging a tunnel. So I caved it in. You should be safe."

"Oh great they were a pesky lot, would have given us a right hard time had they finished that tunnel. Well done lad."

The npc had seemingly forgotten whatever crisis he had been dealing with as he settled into his programmed answer to Kirito. Then just as suddenly he seemed to remember.

"Kirito!"

He exclaimed again only this time since Kirito was looking at his quest reward he didn't interrupt.

"We've a big problem. Someone sabotaged the gate and we can't get it to close. A scout just reported a large group of orcs and wargs headed our way from the ‹‹Hynafol Highway››."

‹‹Hynafol Highway›› was a large cobbled road that led north through the Rhewi mountain. It was in disrepair and any wagon would find it a very bumpy ride with a high chance of breaking a wheel. It had long been forgotten what lay at the other end. People from Graig had gone to explore it but never returned. And the orcs that plagued the foothills had all come together and were marching down the road.

"Kirito, warrior of Aincrad we need your assistance. Those wargs will tear my boys apart if they charge us with the gate open. The archers have a hard time hitting and killing them with that tough hide of theirs. What I need you to do is ride out and draw the wargs away from the orcs and engage them in battle. The scout reported about 500 orcs and 50 wargs. When you defeat the wargs if you could return and assist in the defense of the gate, you would be rewarded greatly. If you have any allies please request their aid in this conflict. The lives of the citizens of Graig are in great peril."

While possibly over dramatic the npc was not lying. There were 40 npc archers on the small wall, and about 100 melee warriors. With the gate open the defenders would be hard pressed. Kirito knew that when the npc asked him to get other players to help, the fight was definitely some kind of group world event.

He had read in one of Kayaba's interviews how there were going to be certain events in the game that could permanently change the world. And with the introduction of the monthly large event Kirito had basically forgotten the possibility of random world events. And he realized this event might have the effect of permanently destroying Graig.

"I will do all I can."

Kirito replied. His thoughts of sleeping in a room in Graig were gone as he quickly spun Midnight around and spurred his trusted mount forward.

'No rest for me today.'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

Kirito had engaged in mounted combat during his adventures in the Rhewi Mountains and their foot hills. He remembered one particular fight well.

_Flashback_

Kirito had already engaged many orc camps in the region over the course of a week. Each time he had been on foot and had parked Midnight well away from the camps. He didn't want to risk Midnight dying and having to slowly trudge all the way back to Graig. But luck was not on his side today. The larger orc camps were aware someone was attacking their expeditionary camps closer to Graig.

They were not happy. So they sent their elite mounted ‹‹Howling Warg Riders ›› to deal the new threat. These wargs were covered in iron plates and had an iron spike on a large face mask. With semi-intelligence the wargs knew how to utilize this iron spike. On their backs were large orcs in black chain mail and they wore vicious iron mask that accentuated their terrifying visages. They were carried eight foot lances and average sized twisted black iron shields, curved rusty daggers were snuggly strapped in sheaths on their lower backs.

Mount and rider could fight separately if one was killed. The wargs were level 25, with 2,500 hp each. They had a high defense, and were pretty fast even armored. Their bite could be pretty mean especially if they speared you with their iron spike. But the wargs had many weak spots that dealt critical damage. The orc rider was level 25 as well, with 2,000 hp and they could deal massive damage if they hit you full speed with their lance. With their armor the resisted damage well.

But Kirito knew none of this and as he was setting out for another day of questing he didn't expect to be ambushed. At level 30 Kirito then had 4,750 hp. He was using his ‹‹+10 Anneal Blade››. But the light armor plate he had equipped was somewhat low in quality as he hadn't found a better replacement yet.

He had taken Midnight miles out of Graig to the last remaining orc camp that was close by. The ‹‹Howlies›› as Kirito would later affectionately nickname them, were hidden among a large rock collection in between several hills. Miles out of the camp. They had guessed his travel route, the straightest path from Graig to this camp.

When he passed near their hideout they sprang into action. Five blurs came racing out. The wargs let loose with blood chilling howls and the orcs on top copied with their well-practiced imitations. And chill Kirito's blood it did. It was instinctual to feel a small bit of dread from that noise. The adrenaline flooding his system demanding an action, fight or flight? Kirito drew his sword and prepared for combat.

His head whipped back and forth as he searched for the source and discovered five heavily armed wargs with accompanying riders racing in his direction. Kirito now considered his level of proficiency riding Midnight to be acceptable. But he realized he was about to either come out as a much more skilled rider or he was going to die. He was being forced into a sink or swim approach on learning mounted combat.

Kirito saw the lances and was slightly worried, the reach on them was much greater than his sword's and he knew he needed a way around them. He jerked the reins and drew his sword in his right hand. Midnight reared back and neighed fearfully when he saw the wargs. Kirito barely managed to keep his seat. But when he calmed Midnight down a second later with a simple sentence of,

"C'mon boy, it is either do or die right now!"

Somehow, the Cardinal system, which governs the game was able to give mounts a much more sentient understanding of what players said to them. That or somehow the emotions leaked through the Nerve Gear. Kirito hadn't really pondered on it much, he just knew Midnight would respond to him as if he was a real horse that understood and cared for his master. Especially in such a desperate moment.

Kirito's adrenaline was running full tilt. Spamming his system with the boost it provided. And Kirito loved the feeling of it. SAO was unlike any other game he had ever played. For this very reason. The realistic response his body gave was amazing. He loved it. In near euphoria he spurred Midnight into action.

The electrified feeling in his system turned into battle lust and Kirito eagerly anticipated the coming clash. It promised to be more on edge than anything he had done recently.

One warg edged out in front of the others. It ran faster and was closing the distance much quicker. The four other riders veered off slightly so as to not hit their comrade. The orc in front levelled his lance and lined it up to drive it right though Kirito's heart. A certain kill shot with the kind of momentum behind it.

As it neared him, Kirito flicked his sword out across his body and parried the lance off target. With his sword still out in the air, the orc holding the lance had no chance as Kirito tightened his white knuckle grip and felt as his arm nearly was wrenched off. The hanging sword had cut right through the exposed orc's neck. Its head flew off with the momentum and Kirito watched as it burst into a shower of blue pixels.

One thing Kirito knew about mounted combat was the inability to use sword skills. The system allowed it. But your body would suddenly jerk while sitting mounted and it really messed with rider and mount. It just didn't work out. Thankfully the system calculated all blows made and the force behind them. So a sword strike from atop a horse while charging dealt quite a bit of damage. The weight behind his last blow was enough to one-shot that orc.

The other orc's were now coming in on Kirito. The closest one reached him and Kirito again parried the lance off course. Kirito managed to twists his wrist and plunged the sword into the orc's chest cavity. Another shoulder jarring impact struck him as he barely held his blade. It had sawed its way out the side of the orc, less Kirito would have been without his sword.

Kirito took the next second to notice that the wargs were still intact. It then occurred to him that the mount did not die with its rider. And likely visa-versa.

'Fan-fucking-tastic. That doubles the number of mobs in this fight. 2/5 orcs down, zero wargs down.'

He swung Midnight around in a tight turn. The small turn radius quickly had them angled them in a new direction. Much to his disbelief Kirito saw the previous orc's lance stuck blade deep into the ground several feet in front of him.

Midnight was once again spurred forward and Kirito sheathed his sword before snatching the lance up. Having no skill with pole arms, Kirito was surprised he was able to wield it at all. Even more surprised that it hadn't disintegrated along with the orc's body.

Trusting his instincts Kirito shifted his grip on the lance and held it back as if to throw it. He felt the familiar hum of energy build up and took aim. Executing the throwing skill Kirito heaved the lance like a javelin into an oncoming un-mounted warg's mouth. The throw was rough, the weapon was large and not designed for throwing. But it worked and the warg was dispatched from the blow gutting it head to toe.

A warg and rider appeared next to Kirito as he wheeled to run and gather speed again. With its dagger drawn the orc slashed Kirito's exposed arm. The blow sliced shoulder to elbow and dealt 10% of Kirito's health worth in damage.

Kirito had drawn his sword again after throwing the lance and running side by side exchanged a quick couple of back and forth parries before he overwhelmed the dagger user and stabbed the orc into the gaping mouth hole in the mask. The orc died and Kirito stabbed down into the exposed part of the back of the warg's skull several times in succession and killed another of the five wargs.

While this was happening the other two mounted orc had ridden up and one of them ran his lance right through Kirito's shoulder, deliver massive damage. Kirito was lucky he hadn't been hit somewhere critical. With the lance still in his shoulder making him slowly bleed out hp, he twisted in the saddle and slashed downward splitting the orc's mask and killing it in a brutal overhead cleave.

The warg for said rider was now adjacent to Kirito and was trying to bite Midnight's leg. But Kirito stabbed into the warg's mouth and then slashed down at the back of its exposed neck. Another warg dead. Kirito ripped the lance out and threw it at the last remaining rider. Dis-mounting and disabling it. Kirito's adrenaline kept any kind of pain blocked from his thoughts.

He checked his hp, it was below 50% and two wargs still remained. They were grouped up. He charged at them and started slashing one, while it batted at him with its paws. The second flanked him and bit down onto his foot in the stirrup. All at once his gathered pain broke through the adrenaline haze and Kirito roared in pain. He focused the one not chewing his foot and killed it with several more strikes.

Then he struck the one still attached and it let go and jumped back. He spun Midnight to face it and Midnight reared back and brought his iron shod hooves forward into the warg's lower jaw. The blow stunned it long enough for Midnight to bring them closer and Kirito managed to kill it before it fully recovered.

A sixth warg suddenly made itself known when it speared its iron spike through Kirito's knee and into Midnight's heart. Before shattering into crystals, Midnight fell onto his side and Kirito slammed onto the ground.

It took Kirito a second to get his bearings and he saw his hp was down around 30%. Midnight suddenly exploded into a cloud of blue pixels and freed Kirito from under him. Kirito got to his feet to see the extra warg glaring him down.

'OH SHIT! OH SHIT! OH SHIT!'

His thoughts were expressing his feelings perfectly. The warg had the upper hand now that he was dismounted. It could build up a lot of momentum and kill him in one hit. So he charged. Closing the distance reduced the wargs momentum and slightly increased his survival chance. Although that was debatable since he was in fact charging toward the heavily armored creature.

The mob sprung forward and Kirito dived to the side narrowly avoiding its head spike. Rolling to his feet he lunged at the warg's unprotected back. A quick ‹‹Sonic Leap›› gave his strike some real power and he sunk his blade hilt deep. Kirito drew one of his throwing daggers and still holding on with his sword started slashing all the exposed parts of the warg.

The warg's health was quickly whittled down and it died in a flurry of pixels. He lay on the ground where he had fallen. He needed a breather.

10 minutes later when he got back up to check his loot and observe his surroundings he recalled one important fact. There was still an orc alive. He saw it still pinned to the ground by a thrown lance. So he made his way over and finished it off.

He sighed. That had been a very unexpected fight. Still he and Midnight had kicked ass.

'Midnight even stunned that warg for a moment!'

Then the obvious realization came to him. Midnight died. And he was miles out from Graig, many miles.

'Well... Now what...?' Kirito wondered.

_Flashback End_

Since that eye opener of a battle Kirito had learned and practiced several things. He learned you could throw spears. Which dealt much more damage than thrown daggers or picks. After the eye opener of an introduction to mounted combat he had been spending lots of time learning to fight atop his mount. Midnight had died off several more times. Kirito had however stopped fighting on top of Midnight so far away from Graig.

So he was now a proficient rider and carried two dozen ‹‹Graig Javelin›› in his inventory for whenever he was in mounted combat. He had clashed against more groups of Howlies and each one had been randomly equipped. One group had been armed with bows, which had been a very tricky battle. Thankfully he was near lots of cover. Another group had long swords like himself. The fast pace of movement on the mounts and the quick brutal back and forth flurries of steel had made that his favorite battle yet.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

So here he was, riding out to engage 50 warg riders in personal combat. 1 vs 50 was not a battle he would normally fight. But Kirito knew these mobs wouldn't be close to his level as he was now level 37 and he had yet to see a mob above level 30 and that had been a mini boss. This world event would naturally scale down the quality of its troops since it was intended to be dealt with by a group of players in a lower level range. He was optimistic about his chances here.

Following the road to the ‹‹Hynafol Highway›› Kirito heard a sound he was intimately familiar with by now. The growls and howls of wargs. He crowned the hill in front of him and down below a good 50 yards away were the 550 hostile npcs hell-bent on burning Graig to the ground. He spurred Midnight forward and drew one of his javelins.

Kirito was by no means an expert at throwing weapons, but with the system assist he did well. He took aim hucked it at the lead warg. With Midnights momentum and being up on a hill, the javelin soared 40 plus yards and slammed home into one of the wargs.

For some reason the wargs weren't mounted yet. He could see their riders walking in a block behind them. So with no one to order them the wargs saw their friend die, then followed the trail to find Kirito. They roared and howled in rage and the remaining 49 wargs broke formation and charged.

These wargs were lvl 25 and were the same ones the Howlies rode. But Kirito was hardly in danger from them now. He charged right into them and swung his sword back and forth cleaving through the warg's, mask and all. Dashing through he reached the bottom of the hill and aimed Midnight to the left and booked it wide of the hill. A swarm of arrows peppered the ground where he was going to be if he had continued straight and actually managed to kill three wargs by misfires.

Chuckling Kirito led the wargs over the hill and far away from the highway. For five minutes he just rode Midnight hard with wargs nipping at his heels. Kirito satisfied that the orcs wouldn't catch up, slowed Midnight down slightly. The wargs not ready to impale the horse, veered around the horse like a rock parts a stream. As the wargs ran past Kirito slashed left and right killing wargs indiscriminately.

The wargs had been reduced to half their numbers by this point. But their anger and blood lust had only grown as they watched their brethren crippled and slain alongside them. The wargs, when in packs like this received a damage boost for each warg killed out of the pack, but their defense was reduced. So Kirito no longer needed to slash critical areas to deal death. He charged into the waiting 23 wargs and slashed anywhere and everywhere.

Unfortunately for Kirito and for Graig. The last warg of the group had its damage so boosted that when it bit Midnight's leg it one shot the poor horse. Kirito had quickly finished it but could only curse the situation since it would take him close to 20 minutes to reach Graig while the orcs should be arriving there this moment.

But then Kirito remembered the item he had received for completing the final quest from the gatehouse commander. ‹‹Graig Crystal››. This item was only given to those who achieved full reputation standing with a city and it allowed them to teleport to the city. Achieving full rep or as it is called ‹‹Kindred›› status, is not an easy feat. He had killed hundreds of orcs for their small rep xp and every quest from Graig gave him a chunk. But the final quest had pushed his standing to the top.

What Kirito didn't realize is that to get this item a player had to have done even the one time quests for the city. This new event didn't count as it wasn't a simple city quest but a major world event. So Kirito took his crystal out and teleported to Graig.

He found himself wrapped in blue light and then suddenly all he could see was blue for two seconds then he found himself just inside the gates of Graig. The crystal disintegrated to dust in his hand.

'Aww it was only one time use?'

He didn't have time to be annoyed at losing the crystal because behind him he heard the frantic shouts of the gatehouse commander. He was ordering the archers to open fire. Kirito made his way to the makeshift barrier erected in the gate arch. Old lumber, large stones, a broken wagon and several stumps were piled together to create a barricade. Atop the barricade the melee npcs held a stout shield wall.

"Hey I killed all the wargs."

Kirito simply said.

"Waah? OH! Great job laddy! Hear that boys! The Aincrad warrior killed all the wargs."

He shouted. Then he looked at Kirito again and said.

"You will be greatly rewarded for what you have done already but if you help us defeat these orcs I can promise something more. So please help us."

Kirito nodded and accepted the quest. As if he was just going to walk away anyway. Midnight was dead and he didn't have any way to teleport to Aincrad. So he was stuck behind the wall of Graig and his life rested with the town's fate.

He sighed as he ran up to the wall to hurl his remaining javelins.

'I just won't ever get to rest today.'

_January 1st  
Northern Lumber Camp_

Kirito breathed deeply as he stared out on the green plain that surrounded Aincrad. He had spent the last three and a half weeks in the wide and frozen foothills of Rhewi and had occasionally journeyed into the mountains themselves. He patted Midnight beneath him and then spurred the horse to get him moving again.

He had encountered several players within the forest and the lumber camp. None had been mounted but they didn't react as if they had never seen someone mounted when they saw him. So he assumed others had purchased mounts. And his tattered appearance didn't inspire people to take much note of him.

But in truth the new black cloak he wore was actually a very high level cloak given to him by the people of Graig along with several other things. After the battle where all the npc defenders had ended up dead, Kirito faced off against the last 45 orcs himself after fighting and personally killing about 150 other orcs and this easily earned Kirito the rewards. As soon as the last orc fell the gatehouse commander had re-spawned and greeted Kirito in celebration. The cloak, chest plate and sword he received were gear from an ancient hero of Graig legend.

Kirito had been forced to have the title ‹‹Hero of Graig›› applied. So anyone who stopped and examined Kirito would notice his title as it floated above his head. But with his ‹‹Hiding›› skill as high leveled as it was. His name and title were not viewable unless you had a ‹‹Searching›› skill close in level to his ‹‹Hiding››.

His cloak was the ‹‹Legendary Graig Cloak›› which was pitch black trimmed with a deep crimson and the cloak was littered with small holes and rips, it had a deep cowl he used to cover his head. The npc's of Graig had told Kirito he needed to find a tailor of 300/1000 or better to fix its appearance since they hadn't tampered with the any of the items since the hero had passed away and his legendary gear was stored away. The cloak gave the user +15% one-handed sword damage, +5% battle healing rate, and it gave him a discount while shopping with a Graig npc.

His new sword he hadn't equipped yet because the ‹‹+10 Anneal Blade›› was still only slightly better than the base ‹‹Legendary Graig Sword››, The sword was a pitch black blade with a deep crimson groove. It had no cross guard and the handle was wrapped in a very comfortable black leather. The sword was a special sword that scaled really strongly with each upgrade. Needless to say, Kirito would be using this blade for a long time to come.

Then the chest plate he received. The ‹‹Legendary Graig Mail›› it was the same pitch dark as the cloak and blade and was made of extremely light weight plates that covered his chest, stomach, sides and back. This chest plate scaled similarly to his sword, and Kirito knew this armor was easily one of the best pieces this early into the game. He would be using it for a while.

To finish off his outfit Kirito wore a black t-shirt and long black pants. He was glad to finally shed the furs he wore while north of the forest. Sitting atop his horse who was equally black, Kirito rode along the road to Aincrad and he spotted players still grinding out the boars all over the plain. He couldn't help an exasperated sigh that came out.

'Do these people really think killing boars all day will get them to the level to fight in the next event?'

With no answer Kirito could only wonder. But something that did catch his eye was nearly two dozen people all mounted charging across the plain in formation. For the most part they did a good job staying cohesive. Kirito was quite impressed, as he drew closer he saw that they all at least appeared to have some degree of control of their horses.

But then again their formation was just a simple wide arrow head. They just ran in a straight line then seemed to scatter and regroup around a leader. The group spotted Kirito plodding along on his horse and seemed to be interested in him. Kirito thought about it and while horses weren't extremely expensive the average player would need to save to afford one at this point in the game. So Kirito realized that these mounted players might be some of the only other players who had a horse. Or maybe no one had seen a player in all black on top of a black horse. Before he could keep thinking why they might be approaching him, they were in front of him and Midnight had stopped.

The player Kirito in the center of the formation called out.

"Hey there, you look pretty comfortable on that horse. I don't think I have seen you around Aincrad and I pride myself on knowing everyone who owns a horse in the city."

The voice was one that seemed familiar even with the obvious questioning tone. He didn't talk to many girls.

'Heh I don't even talk to many people anymore.'

So it must be someone he had previously met. When he focused more on who was speaking he realized he did know who it was.

"Err... You are that girl who owned that bakery."

He said rather lamely. The proclaimed bakery owner cocked her eyebrow and was taking a closer look at the boy in black.

'How does he know that? My bakery sucked almost no one ever came to it... I had to close to down shortly after the first event.'

"What was your name again… Asula? Asuma? Anusa? No… oh Asuna wasn't it!" He exclaimed.


	7. Second Event Arc: Ch 7

_January 1st  
Aincrad_

Nearly two months in and there are currently 38,836 players still alive within the world of SAO. 21 more people had been victims to the harsh reality of the death game. Whether through tactical blunders, lack of skill, or just bad luck. These were the players who took the risk to venture outside the city's safe area and fight to prepare themselves for the oncoming event. Thankfully there has yet to be a suicide. Several players had been planning to throw themselves from atop the central keep, but the first event had rolled around and showed these players a ray of hope. These borderline players and nearly every other player within Aincrad had been waiting on the first event.

The fact that nearly no one actually participated, leaving the burden to be shouldered alone by those few hundred courageous players with the strength of will to stand, shows that most players would rather let their fate be decided by others then to fight for their own lives. Luckily for them the first event had ended with a victory.

The defense had been shaky and nearly failed multiple times. Thrown together at the last minute it had all but broken in the face of the seemingly un-killable boss mob. Their lack of experience and coordination allowed the boss to shatter the defensive lines and wreak havoc amongst the warriors. But after such a harrowing experience the players defeated the entire army and slayed the boss. They won, and everyone in Aincrad was happy and any thoughts of suicide faded into the back of their minds.

Just before the first event could have ended in a rout, a player clad in black had stepped forward and dueled with the boss. His actions inspired the failing defenders and allowed the battle to be turned back in their favor. His actions were the topic of much gossip and everyone wanted to know who the player was. The info brokers had nothing to give but hearsay and blatant lies. The only fact about him was he wielded a single black sword and had a high collared black coat on. He appeared to be a teenager with black hair.

Dozens of players had falsely claimed to be the hero when no one had come forth days after the event. The city had been calling for him to step forth and be recognized for his deeds. Since there was no official name, everyone had begun to call the mysterious hero...

"‹‹The Black Hero ››! Its ‹‹The Black Hero››!"

A voice yelled out in surprise. All those around the man turned to look at him confused. Before them was a player wearing black with a single sword slung over his shoulder. He was mounted on a black horse. So sure he was the correct age and had the correct appearance, but most of the fakers had managed that much too. Besides how would the hero know their leader on a first name basis? Impossible.

"‹‹Kinichi›› just what are you talking about?"

Spoke one of the players off to the side.

"He is probably just some punk pretender."

Another player voiced.

"Shut up ‹‹Garzan››. The serious edge in his voice managed to cut through his friend's laughter. I was there that night. I saw him."

Kinichi pointed at the player in question.

"That is him. He looks exactly like what I saw… Err. Well it seems he has changed his gear over the last month. But I swear that is him!"

Asuna cut across the growing argument before they spent the rest of the day on it.

"Excuse me, but you said you visited my old bakery? W-what did you think of it?"

A light blush crept across her face. The fact her bakery had been nearly a complete failure was something she was very embarrassed about. Discussing it so openly was not what she had planned to do today.

The player's surrounding the young girl nearly fell off their horses at the sudden change of subject. This could be The Black Hero himself and all she wants to know is what he thought about her bakery! The player who had caused all this didn't say anything for a moment before speaking.

"Ahh-haha well… I only ate there once. But your croissant was pretty good. Umm… I can't say much more about it. Sorry."

"Oh, well I am glad you liked it. But don't come looking for them again. I closed my bakery."

Suddenly the girl spurred her horse forward and stopped alongside him.

"You sit pretty naturally on your horse. Are you any good at riding?"

She gestured behind her.

"We are the mounted guild ‹‹Knights of Ruin››. Anyone who wants to can join if they have a horse. Would you like to?"

The question was asked nicely, and Kirito almost felt bad for turning her down. But he had no interest in joining a guild. Even if this girl was really cute. He needed to get back to the city.

"I will have to decline, I prefer to play solo."

He answered and then urged his horse forward. Any information about ‹‹The Black Hero›› or ‹‹Knights of Ruin›› he could always get Argo to answer for him. He had nothing more to speak about with this group.

Riding away Kirito sighed. He needed to visit Liz, find Argo, and see what Agil would buy from him. Perhaps he came back from Graig too early. After all the next event didn't start for several days. And he already wanted to turn around and go back to Graig.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

It was late evening when Kirito walked through the north gate into Aincrad. He had sent Argo a message earlier and was waiting for her reply. But instead of sitting around waiting he had went on his way towards his one and only blacksmith. He hadn't spoken to her since Christmas. But he had several matters that required her attention.

Lizbeth's_ POV_

Today was a slow day. Anyone who might normally require her services was off getting as much last minute xp as possible. The second event was days away and suddenly all her customers realized they could be more prepared. So she was pleasantly surprised to hear the bell on her door chime. Looking up she saw…

"Welcome to ‹‹Heart Forged›› my na- Kirito?!"

A small smile and a wave was his way of greeting. Liz's face adopted a glare and she spoke with venom.

"So finally done with all your other smiths and decided to visit me huh?"

Her sudden snide attitude put Kirito's mood down.

"Liz… I never used any other smiths but some npc ones."

His answer apparently was good enough. And she crossed her arms and the look on her face didn't soften.

"So…? You can walk to this area and find an npc to do your gear but my shop is too far out of the way? Humph. I see how it is Kirito.

"Whaaa? Liz no you don't understand. I-"

Wrong thing to say.

"OH! I understand perfectly Kirito. You abandoned your personal blacksmith. You lied and…and I will no longer be taking your business here. Good day."

"Liz."

She met his gaze.

"I have not been in Aincrad for the last few weeks. I was not abandoning you or my promise. I was literally too far away to have you repair or upgrade my gear. But this is the only thing I have done since getting back to Aincrad. I came here first."

Liz stood silent for a long silent minute. Kirito couldn't see since she now had her back turned but a blush was slowly calming down across her face.

'He came here first? Why does that matter to me? Argh stupid blush! Go away! Oh yeah I need to answer him.'

"How far away were you? Do you mean to tell me you haven't been in Aincrad since the last event?"

With a quick nod Kirito replied.

"Yep. And we are talking beyond the northern forest far away. Travel time is measured in days. I think the npc smiths up there did a decent job with my gear but I want you to check it all over while I am here please."

"Oh… sure give it here."

Liz sent Kirito a request which he accepted and the smith interface window popped up between them. Rather than having to trade his equipment over or some other long winded task. Smith's and other craftsmen had special task windows that allowed them to do business quickly and efficiently. Kirito selected the ‹‹Repair All›› option and Liz agreed and Kirito paid the specified price. His gear was now 100% repaired and ready for use.

Kirito used the silence to think over how to approach the next topic.

"Say… Liz. Is your ‹‹Blacksmith›› skill level over 150?"

She nodded and Kirito continued.

"Well since you are my personal smith I have an order to put in."

Kirito operated his menu quickly and several scrolls materialized into his hands.

"These are some unique recipes from the place I was questing in. I got these as a unique quest award. You can have them. I need you to make me several stack of the throwing picks. I will pay for the material costs and whatever crafter's fee you want to charge me. Just have them ready before the event please."

Liz didn't know how to react. Collecting every single recipe was her secret goal. And Kirito had just unknowingly given her something that was practically priceless in herself made quest. So she reached out and accepted the scrolls.

"Sure Kirito I can make you them."

While Liz was going through the animation of learning each new recipe, a familiar sound drew Kirito's attention.

_Bing!_

Opening his menu he noticed it was Argo getting back to him.

_Oh Dearest Kirito!_

_You are finally back and you haven't come to see your precious little Argo? I am wounded Kirito. To think I can answer all your questions and instead of searching for me you just casually message me and go off to meet another girl? All the discounts in your favor and my personal time spent researching whatever you needed. Wasted... Oh my, oh my._

_You will find me for tea tomorrow morning at the shop ‹‹Teattle Tales›› south-west section of the second district. It is my personal tea shop actually. Like the name? I use it for all my official information discussions. And... I LOVE TEA! Never tell anyone else, ever..._

_~Too de Loo~  
-Argo_

Kirito's groan caught Liz's attention and brought her out of her recipe daze. She looked at him questioningly. He replied.

"Just Argo answering me with her usual eccentrics."

Which caused Liz to giggle at the thought.

"Oh yeah Liz."

He said suddenly with a look of realization crossing his face.

"I need you to upgrade my new sword and armor. I don't have a ton of mats but enough for a couple upgrade on each I think."

Liz sent him another request and opened the special smithing window. Accepting Kirito slotted his sword and all the mats he had for upgrading it. She accepted.

"Follow me to the back. I have to use an anvil to do upgrades."

They moved to her backroom workshop and Kirito watched as she began to strike his new sword over and over again. Occasionally a bright light shone around Liz and the sword. After five minutes of Liz hammering she looked up with a smile. The smith window was still open and Kirito used it to receive his sword back, before he then slotted his chest plate and mats for upgrading it.

"Ohhh nice job Liz! +4 on my new sword!"

"Oh well you know I try my best. But Kirito this is some nice looking armor and that sword was very high quality as well."

Her comment was obviously a question so Kirito answered.

"I got them from a special quest reward. I guess it pays off to be the only one questing at a certain quest hub. I get all the special quests and rewards."

Neither said anything else as the sound of Liz's hammer striking his chest plate filled the silence. She worked it over for a much longer time. But eventually she stood up and it was returned. Kirito paid her fee.

"Awesome!"

He said and equipped both pieces into place. His new sword was slung over his should similarly to his old one.

"The armor I got to +5. Be sure to bring it back to me when you want it upgraded again."

Kirito wouldn't meet her eye for some reason. And she noticed a blush creeping across his face.

"Uhh Kirito? Is something the matter?"

"OH! No, no don't worry. I just… well I have… Hmm you see-"

"Kirito just spit it out."

He instead open his menu again and materialized several small packages. He threw them in her direction and said.

"I got these at Christmas. Think of it as a split thank you/Christmas present."

Then he turned and strode towards the front of her shop. She quickly trailed behind him.

"It's getting late. I should leave. Good night Liz. I will be back to pick up the picks before the event."

"Bye…"

Kirito was out of the door before she could say anything else. Liz decided it was time to close up for the day.

'Well, I wonder just what this present is.'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 2nd  
Teattle Tales_

Kirito woke up several hours before mid-day. Back in the real world he used to sleep in late on the weekends. But during his travels he tried to maximize daylight. Npc's didn't give out quests once they fell asleep. He got up and headed toward the south western part of the section district per Argo's directions.

Eventually Kirito found himself in front of what could only be described as a typical European tavern. Only it sold tea and information not alcohol and pleasure. He entered and was greeted by the dark atmosphere and saw candles flickering by several tables where hooded figures were bent over quietly discussing things. Sunlight dimly streamed through the dusty half shuttered windows. The atmosphere was clearly Argo's doing.

Before he could continue his inspection he was pounced on by a small figure and dragged to a side room. As he quickly realized it was Argo he listened to her complaining.

"For goodness sake Kirito how can you wear a cloak like that when it is full of holes? Is its durability almost zero or something? If you need good tailor just tell me and I can sell you the info for a good one."

In the room Kirito broke free from her grasp and seated himself on one side of a pristine looking wooden table. The bench was comfortable he found. Before him lay a menu listing tea prices. He decided to scan it while Argo continued explaining just how shabby he looked.

"-all black still, I just don't understand. Hey Kirito. Kirito? KIIIRIITOOO!"

"Oh sorry, uh yeah black is just my color I guess?"

"Why are you asking me that? How would I know it's your outfit."

"Uhh Argo. Can I get some black tea…?"

Argo looked flabbergasted.

"Really Kirito?"

He chuckled.

"No, but some green tea would be nice. I am thirsty from all the dust inside. Can't you clean this place up a bit?"

"Its atmosphere, people come here expecting all kinds of shadiness. So I simple fulfill their expectations."

"Hmm I guess that does make sense. Anyway, Argo I have some business for us to settle. You wouldn't happen to know someone who has a tailoring skill above 300? This cloak is pretty shabby after all and I think it could use a covert touch up."

He winked obviously.

Argo nearly faced palmed. Really Kirito was too much sometimes. But business is business and he isn't her strangest customer. Before she replied Kirito spoke again.

"Lizbeth sent me to a tailor last time I was in town. I think her name was ‹‹Ashley››. Argo do you know if her skill level is above 300 now?"

"Oooh why that would be 50 col Kirito."

She stuck her hand out and he quickly slipped her the col.

"Yes, Ashley is one of the more successful tailors on the market. Last I heard her skill was near 400."

She slipped the col up her sleeve. Obviously another one of her atmosphere tricks. Sleight of hand and all that.

"Now about the bow. No one who can pay a decent price has come forward yet, so that is still a no go. I spent a lot of time but I just don't think anyone will buy it in our price range. However if I caved and went to one of the people trying to undercut the price I would lose a lot of face. As I told everyone who tried to get it cheap that their offers were laughable and I would have no problem selling it for the price I wanted."

Kirito nodded sagely.

"Mmhmm. I understand."

"I really doubt that."

He face-vaulted onto the table. But quickly regained composure. A slight blush on his face.

"Now I must know what this title of yours is about. I imagine most people can't see it because of your ‹‹Hiding›› skill level being so high. But naturally my ‹‹Searching›› is higher. And ‹‹Hero of Graig›› seems pretty important."

So Kirito began feeding Argo pieces of info with a price tag attached to each tidbit. But he left off important parts for the most part. He had been planning this conversation the whole ride back. His intention was to get a good amount of col or an IOU from Argo. Eventually she realized the string he was pulling and called him on it. So for a large price of 2,000 col Argo bought his entire travels in detail. So Kirito gave her the complete rundown on all his doing in the north.

When he recanted his return trek he mentioned the KoR and the hero figure Argo snorted. Kirito looked at her and she offered a free explanation. At the mention of the heroic figures deed. Kirito realized it was him. Argo already knew so and teased him.

"Ohh I bet every girl would be delighted to know your player name. I get could so rich selling off secrets about you~"

Argo started getting more detailed exactly what she could sell. And to Kirito's horror most of it was true!

'How does Argo even know that?!'

He quickly stood up and bid her good day. Then hurried out of the tea shop to escape her heckling. All the while he heard her cackling with glee behind him. He needed to visit Agil still and sell off his extra gear drops.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 3rd  
Kirito's POV_

Kirito had visited Ashley and gotten his cloak redone so it now wasn't washed out and torn. It was a deep pitch black and in fact it now added +5% to the ‹‹Hiding›› skill, but only at night. But now Kirito was bored. The few friends he had within this game all had businesses they had to spend all day managing. And this was the first time he had free time since the start of SAO.

So with a quick message to Argo about passing the time, he found there were several things to do within the game. Including: ‹‹Fishing››, then people held festivals and there were apparently several sports clubs being held among other things. Kirito decided to try out fishing.

Kirito found a carpenter and quickly bought a ‹‹Beginner's Rod›› and some bait. Turns out Kayaba was an avid fisherman and had implemented a completely realistic fishing experience, at least using gear one would find during the Middle Ages. Kirito had heard there was a lake to the south of Aincrad about a ten hour walk. So he rode Midnight and made it there much quicker.

Kirito had never fished before. And this game came with no system assist only a brief explanation in the flavor text attached to his beginner's rod. He followed the instructions and equipped the bait onto a hook then tied the hook onto the rod's line. A way's down the shore bank he watched an old man cast like a pro.

Kirito thought the movement seemed easy, and as he tried to copy he sort of succeeded. His hook did fly out into the lake. But he didn't get much distance on it. Compared to the old man his line was only cast half as far. He sat down with his back to a stump and allowed himself to enjoy the weather. It was January but this far south in the game the weather was nice.

He spent most of the day lazing about fishing and napping. A welcome way to relax. Something he planned to do again another time he decided.

At the end of the day Kirito went to Liz's to pick up his order. Liz had presented to him x200 ‹‹Graig Throwing Pick››. He thanked her greatly and paid. Then left to sleep in an inn again for the evening.

_January 4th_

'There is a very serious atmosphere in the city today.'

Kirito thought as he walked down a street. Everyone had grim looks on their faces. The carefree attitude's he saw yesterday were gone. And everyone was hurrying about in the street.

'I guess they can't keep denying what is going to happen tomorrow.'

Kirito was on his way to a meeting, a gathering of all the players who were going to fight tomorrow. It is being held in one of the large plazas in the top district. The day before a massive festival had been held where many people had been celebrating. Kirito supposed it was to enjoy life before it possibly ended. He wasn't really sure. Kirito had spent the day fishing after all.

Arriving at the meeting 20 minutes early, Kirito could already see several hundred people sitting down in make shift wooden bleachers. When Kirito took a seat away from the others, high in the corner of one section he noted the bleachers weren't very comfortable. He estimated there was seating enough for 3,000 people. But he sincerely doubted if 3,000 would show up. There couldn't be more than 1,000 people who could stand and fight tomorrow without being overcome easily. The others who would show up simply needed more time to catch up. Their gear and level's would be too low.

Quickly the stands started filling up. The meeting started at nine and when the clock struck the turn of the hour, two players walked to the wooden podium in front of the bleachers. With no way to amplify their voices the crowd quieted down to try and catch what was about to be said. A figure with blue hair yelled out to stop the last couple conversations.

"Hello everyone! My name is Diavel. I am sure most of you recognize me. I have been working hard every day to ensure our success tomorrow. I also led some of you in that terrible battle 29 days ago. This meeting has been planned out to try to organize ourselves so we are prepared tomorrow. If we are organized we can be more efficient and we can hopefully keep everyone alive tomorrow."

He paused to let his words sink in.

"Last month many of you before me acquitted yourselves well. We grouped together last minute and some of you joined during the event. It was disorganized and it barely worked. But we did it. We proved that we can survive whatever Kayaba is going to throw our way. I have been going over what worked and what didn't work last month and hopefully things will be much smoother tomorrow."

He started pacing back and forth across the stage.

"After another month of training we are all here today because we want to fight and prove we can survive whatever is coming tomorrow. I am here to ask you to give everything you can tomorrow. But your own life. Don't sacrifice your life. We all want to live and together we can make sure no one dies. I will be the raid leader tomorrow. The more of you that join the more organized we can be. So I urge you all to accept."

He stopped pacing and stood tall behind the podium. Then he banged his fist on his breast plate and thrust it into the air above his head.

"Together we can survive, together we can win tomorrow. Together we are unstoppable. Already the raid has nearly 2,000 members. Join together. VICTORY THROUGH UNITY!"

His voice was much louder as he yelled the last phrase. His action was copied and hundreds of player's raised their fists into the air and yelled back.

"Victory through unity!"

Kirito was too far away to notice. But Diavel had a huge smirk on his face as he watched the crowd.

* * *

Hell yeah! that's another chapter done and out. Please feel free to write a review or send me a pm with any questions or comments. I enjoy answering them, and your suggestions are appreciated. Otherwise your just gonna have to wait till I decide to write another chapter to hear from me. And guess what? Its gonna be the next event! I know I am excited. If you liked the first event then just expect something twice as awesome.


	8. Second Event Arc: Ch 8

Yo. Time for chapter 8.

* * *

_January 4th  
Aincrad Tier One, Central Plaza_

As Kirito watched Diavel whip the crowd into a frenzy, he didn't notice the small group sit down near him. But they quickly drew his attention when they started talking loudly.

"Issin, you lazy bastard I knew you would make us late. The crowd is going crazy and we don't even know why."

A voice spoke teasingly. The voice sounded familiar to Kirito but he couldn't place it. Turning to look Kirito recognized them as the group he thought was a guild during the first event. They were all dressed in different armor with varying amounts of red clothing. Six in all, they were good naturedly joking amongst themselves while Kirito observed.

Klein noticed the player in black near them, and saw the player was staring at them. He quickly elbowed Issin, who was bemoaning his leader's lack of care for his beauty sleep, to shut him up.

"Hey you there in black."

Klein began. The other four's attention was drawn to who Klein had called out to.

"You look really familiar. Have we met before?"

Speaking up Kirito answered.

"Yes. I believe we met about 30 days ago. Klein was it?"

Klein's face was scrunched up as he tried to remember.

'Well clearly we have met. He knows my name. Hmmm... 30 days ago... 30 days ago... OH! The first event. So I met him during that...'

"OH Yeah!"

Klein suddenly exclaimed.

"I remember, you were in line next to us right before the gate broke open. Good to see you are still alive and kicking."

Kirito smiled back, he hadn't spoken to Klein for very long but he had enjoyed their previous conversation. Something which was rare for him with most people he met.

"Same to you. Did you guys manage to form an actual guild yet?"

Kirito queried. Looking confused at Kirito, Klein replied.

"Well no. No one has managed to form a guild yet. No one knows how to."

'I wonder why he doesn't know that. Probably because he seems to play solo. So he must be out of the loop.'

They realized that the crowd had grown quiet again, and the group turned to the stage. Kirito realized the stands had filled up so there had to be about several thousand players in attendance. But on stage the other man standing besides Diavel was now speaking.

"... as Diavel-san and I have agreed, tomorrow I will take command of the front line. While Diavel-san shall be leading in a more administrative role to keep everything smoothly going. He will keep us organized and work out the rotations and give any adjustments he sees necessary. We have another associate ‹‹Kibaou›› who will be leading the ranged component of the raid tomorrow."

A man stood in the stands and made his way forward.

"I have also been told that the group calling themselves the guild ‹‹Knights of Ruin›› will be participating in some form tomorrow. However they refused to join the raid. So Kibaou-san if you could come up here. Ah yes, here he is. Now if you wish to join the ranged division please come talk to Kibaou-san. While everyone else come talk to Diavel-san and I, so we can organize you."

As the man finished speaking Kirito tracked Kibaou, and watched the man swagger up onto the stage. He was of average height, and quite stocky. His hair however drew Kirito's attention, it was a light brownish orange color and it was spiked oddly, it reminded Kirito of a cactus. Turning to the group next to him Kirito listened as Klein spoke.

"Ahh its cactus-man."

One of the others interjected.

"I fucking hate cactus head. That guy is such a prick."

The other five nodded in agreement.

"Too true Harry One."

Klein responded. He then turned to Kirito.

"Hey, we weren't planning on joining the raid but are still gonna fight tomorrow. You wanna join us so you at least know who you are fighting next to tomorrow?"

The offer was genuine and Kirito couldn't see a reason to refuse. He had no intention of joining the raid and this way he wouldn't just have to stand by himself somewhere. Kirito verbally accepted and then Klein and he exchanged friend requests. Klein made a huge show of saying he remembered Kirito's name just before he saw it pop up. No one was convinced however. They agreed to meet tomorrow for lunch to be grouped up and ready for the event. With the meeting over Kirito left with another destination in mind.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Second Tier  
Northern section_

Since all the lumber came into the city from the forest to the north, Kirito assumed the woodworkers would naturally station themselves in the northern part of the second district. He was incorrect however and was told by an npc merchant to look on the east side.

After making his way eastward, Kirito started asking around for specific directions. Argo had mentioned a certain shop to him. Supposedly the owner had the 2nd highest wood carving and crafting skill in the game. Where the highest leveled player was someone who didn't run a store. His store ‹‹I carve because I care›› was medium sized and made entirely out of logs. The floor was covered in wood chips and flakes, creating a sort of cushion feeling. And Kirito enjoyed the shop's atmosphere for a second as he entered

The store was empty, which he preferred, and looking around he admired the displays. After five minutes Kirito realized the owner must not be aware he was in the shop, approaching the counter he noticed a bell with a note next to it that said to ring if no one was there. Following instructions, Kirito did, then stood there before someone charged through the door from the back room. They veered left hard and came to a halt on the opposite side of the counter from Kirito.

After introductions where Kirito learned the man's name was ‹‹Arisawa›› Kirito made his business known. After several minutes of haggling an agreed upon deal was reached and Kirito said he would be back tomorrow near 11.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 5th  
Day of the Second event  
Second Tier ‹‹Ode to the Stomach››_

Kirito had visited Arisawa earlier and picked up the completed order. Then he had gone to meet Klein and the rest of his bunch. No one knew when the event would start today but Kirito could see the nervous tension everywhere as he walked. He himself was on edge. Not enough to get his adrenaline flowing as he would be too tired to do anything later, but he was definitely on alert as he walked around.

They were meeting in a restaurant that had one of the few player musicians working there. The music helped calm him slightly as he sat there waiting for the others to arrive. All night Kirito had wondered whether he should make use of his bow. By using it he might be able to kill more of the enemy before they got within range. But the bow was bind on equip and Kirito knew someone else would be able to put it to better use.

Of course he then had to justify why he didn't just give it to someone. Which was a hard argument, but in the end, surviving the game was his goal and the best way to do that was to be as strong as possible and having the money from the bow's sale would help tremendously.

'But dam I would look so cool as the only player with a bow. Decisions… Decisions…'

Knocked from his thoughts by several people sitting down around him. Kirito realized that Klein's group had just arrived. They greeted one another and Klein officially introduced the rest. Besides Klein, there was Issin, Harry One, Dale, Kunimittz, and finally Dynamm.

They all were equipped to fight as a group. Dale, Harry One and Dynamm were shield users and used a sword or mace. While Issin and Kunimittz wielded two-handed spears. Klein was the odd one out with his katana but Kirito assumed he was able to cover their flanks that way. Introductions done, Kirito told them how he planned to begin the fight by exhausting his supply of ranged weaponry.

He figured he would be able to join them later as he didn't expect their group to be near the front as they weren't even part of the raid. The invite was sent and he joined up as the seventh member of their party. He was placed alone in the second party slot which technically made their party into a raid. But this way they would be able to use the grouping features together and Kirito would have no issues locating them later. All set they left the store and headed towards the central plaza in the first tier.

While walking Kirito found out that the group called themselves ‹‹Fuurinkazan›› which meant wind, woods, fire, mountain. They explained how they were all real friends and they had been gaming together for a long time. They planned to make a guild together whenever anyone could actually figure out how to. Kirito asked if any of them had a mount yet, to which they all replied negative. This prompted Kirito to summon Midnight and let the others examine him. He couldn't help but wonder.

'Who wouldn't show their mount off in this situation right?'

After several hours of sitting around in the central plaza. The space was filling up the several thousand players from yesterday were all arrayed out in party groups and another couple thousand were milling about and chatting. Well wishes and good luck charms were passed around. One player dressed as a priest appeared to be offering blessing to anyone who wished.

To pass the time Kirito's group sat in a circle on cushions provided by Issin. When questioned about it he answered.

"If I gotta sit around for several hours. I sure as hell ain't sitting on cold ass stone without no cushion."

As the hours passed the atmosphere grew tense. Many of those players not preparing to fight had left. The light conversation had died out and the laughter and smiles turned to hard faces and general unease.

The sun was getting close to setting and it was definitely into evening. The air had a chill. There was a slight dusting of snow around the plaza to simulate the winter conditions this region experiences. It was getting late and everyone was starting to wonder when the event would happen. This was something Kayaba was certain to have calculated. He was mentally wearing everyone out. It was at this moment a very scary thought crossed Kirito's mind.

'We still have four years and ten months to fight through. That is 58 more events. No one is going to be sane by the end of this. If we even last that long. We aren't soldiers, we are gamers. But then in Aincrad everyone is a soldier and no longer is one a gamer. Its life or death…'

After all even Kirito was beginning to lose it from the wait. When to the sudden shock of everyone, the city's alarm bells suddenly rang out. Everyone tensed and most jumped. The wait was over. Now it was time to fight or die. Aincrad was officially beset by forces of the enemy and only the players in this courtyard could stop whatever was coming.

Besides the bells ringing across the city it was silent in the courtyard. Approximately 3,000 players were on their feet weapons in hand. Faces set into hard looks, some determined, some frightened, and others were blank. The remaining non-combatants had quickly cleared out moments ago.

Diavel broke the tension by yelling.

"Alright everyone, this is it. There is a report of mobs approaching across the south plain, let's move out!"

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

Fuurinkazan found themselves mixed in with the mass of players marching haphazardly towards the south. There was no real order here. Just a steady stream of bodies heading in one direction. Then they entered the second tier and found thousands of players rushing about. These were the non-combatants and they were as disorganized as you could get.

Small children were screaming. Older people were white as paper. And all of them were moving to safety behind the second and third wall. As they approached the second tier's gate into the third tier, Kirito could see players crowding all along the wall in anticipation to watch.

'Why do they watch? Why won't they step forward and help? Do they not even care enough to fight for their own lives? This isn't real life, everyone has the potential ability to fight in this world.'

He had no answer for the thoughts that plagued his head. He couldn't understand. His focus since the start of the death game was levelling and growing as strong as possible to survive. Their reluctance challenged his drive. But Kirito didn't have time to ponder anymore as the group arrived at the southern gate.

Diavel and his second in command had already organized the front two lines of defense. So Kirito's group inserted themselves into the third line. They were on the left side as they stretched across the front face of the plaza that expanded from the gate's entrance. Kirito mentioned he was going to go up onto the wall then, and Klein promised he would hold a spot for him to come back, and if for some reason they had to move he would send Kirito a message.

Kirito slipped through the lines and got up the stairs that led to the wall. He noticed several things different from the previous event. The npc's were all alive already and deployed. All 100 archers already stationed in intervals. No mob sneak attack to wipe them out. Then there was about 200 players on the wall. From what he could see they were all fingering daggers and throwing picks. One player even looked to have a small throwing axe in hand.

He wondered how large a supply of weaponry each one of these people had. Personally he still had three of his daggers from the last event. As well as about 150 Graig throwing picks. He had the 25 javelins he kept on hand plus the additional 200 javelins he had commissioned Arisawa to make.

Using the throwing picks Liz had made, Arisawa had attached the pick to the end of a sturdy stick. Thus creating a javelin. But after the first one he learned the recipe and the end product was a much more finished looking result. While not seemingly hard, one needed to be 200/1000 in wood crafting to do such a thing. So in total Kirito was packing just under 400 weapons to throw. His daggers would be saved for once he got lost amidst the melee. Sometimes you just needed a quick short range attack.

The javelins wouldn't immediately decay after being thrown but he wasn't optimistic they would hang around to be collected by the time the event ended. The loss of his resources put into them would be his own sacrifice during this event.

Then approaching in the distance along the southern road, Kirito could faintly see what appeared to be another scouting group moving quickly towards the city. Based on their speed and from his experiences up near Graig Kirito assumed these scouts to be mounted. Several minutes later he could make out that they were indeed mounted.

'I swear I spent a month fighting warg riders. And now this event is kicking things off with some more.'

A player to his right made a comment of how both events had begun with a scouting party. Another player questioned whether this would always happen. But neither could know for sure and their conversation lost Kirito's interest. Other conversations began talking about how mounted mobs were a rare encounter and only a couple people had found any. They were very surprised on those occasions and the locations had been sold off for a high col value. Apparently the other zones to the south, east and west were not as heavily populated with mounted mobs like the hills around Graig.

Someone with some kind of vison skill yelled the enemies too be labelled ‹‹Warg Scout››. They were level 20 and each warg had a rider on its back. Each rider was likely an orc. As goblins were typically too small to ride wargs. As they closed in Kirito could see they wore iron caps and stained leather vests that were in bad repair covering their upper body. Several of the wargs had banners attached to their saddles. It show cased a black fist surrounded by red flames splayed over blank triangle shaped banners. They snapped wildly in the wind as the wargs drew closer.

Approximately 200 yards out, the wargs reigned to a stop. Someone shouted there to be about 100 in the pack below. Then as one their riders all lifted twisted black compound bows and in a hail of whistling arrows they fired. Several arrows smashed into the crenellations on the wall, while the rest arched over and rained onto the players below. With no prior warning seven players instantly died from the barrage. Others were knocked to red or yellow hp. Only several players reacted in time to snap their shield into position overhead. Most of the players were just given a scare as the arrows came down.

Kibaou was also yelling, but he was yelling at people to return fire... Now everyone up top wanted to but they had nowhere near the range. Throwing weapons just don't reach quite as far as a bow can be shot. So for nearly 20 minutes back and forth volleys were exchanged by npcs. The warg riders only were interested in hitting the players below and so they didn't shoot the npc archers. Eventually they were whittled down to about 20 left. And then Kirito saw something that left him staring in shock.

'No way is anyone going to last all five years inside Aincrad. These people are already insane after two months!'

Out on the plain hugging the wall heading south, he could see about two dozen players swiftly moving to engage the scout archers. These player's rode their steeds in a solid formation. A broad arrow head, aiming to slam into what was left of the scouts. For some reason the scout archers took no notice of the approaching cavalry and continued to trade volleys. The players on the wall stayed silent besides one person yelling the news down. The wall was suddenly a much more crowded place.

Then as the charging players were reaching full speed and only a handful of seconds from impact. The wargs howled their wrath and were spurred forward to meet the charge. From his position on the wall Kirito watched as the two groups prepared to slam into one another. The npc archer guards seized firing and stood still. Their programming didn't allow them to fire where they had such a high chance of hitting a player.

But at the moment before impact Kirito could only marvel at the sheer stupidity being displayed before him.

'Mounted combat is hard as hell. And these idiots don't even need to be out there right now. No way. No there is no way this is going to end well.'

And then they collided.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Asuna POV_

Asuna led the charge from the center of the arrow head. The formation was two lines deep and staggered so they didn't smash into one another. Five riders angled slightly back to either of her sides. With the others filling in behind. Everyone in the front row had a spear or lance. While the second row varied, some had pole arms while others had sword or axes or maces. She had tried hard to make everyone look uniform but she had just been brushed off by most of them. So they were each equipped with whatever they fancied really.

As the charging players drew near Asuna felt her worry melt away as her adrenaline spike beyond anything she had ever experienced. She felt like laughing at the exhilaration. All her effort was about to pay off as her group wiped these orc thingys out and then everyone would cheer for her.

The foes were in no formation from what she could tell. They all looked the same so she guessed they had no leader. Unknown to her the scout leader had just caught several arrows and died minutes earlier. A couple more than a dozen remained. Compared to her two dozen they were nothing. In the back of her mind in a place she had never really used before, her mind noticed the lack of riders on a handful of the wolf creatures.

At the fore of Asuna's charge 11 lances were levelled and she gave a cry of,

"CHARRRRGE!"

Her soft feminine voice was quickly followed by each of her fellows in their own unique yells. The group reached top speed and they were even still in formation. Again Asuna felt like laughing at how well everything seemed to be. She was so dam good at this. Then the enemies reacted and their mounts howled and began their countercharge.

To Asuna a thunderous clamor erupted as the two groups slammed into one another. Following the loud impacts, were screams and curses from both sides. Each one of the lances had struck true but the remaining orcs and wargs had found targets of their own. The KoR's formation was in complete disarray. The second line slammed into the stalled front line and did as much damage to the opposite side as to their own. Wargs and orcs pounced into the confusion and began a series of desperate struggles in the fray.

The center of the first line by Asuna had managed to break free during the charge and they quickly wheeled around to witness the mad close combat. Several player's had been dismounted and horses ran around trying to get free without anyone controlling them. Asuna was shocked at what she was seeing. Never had her group had this happen before. Always they had charged in formation and easily overcome whatever they encountered. The ground locked small groups of goblins from past days were nothing like these ones.

She saw a wolf thing bite down into someone's neck and realized she was just staring. Someone next to her urged their horse forward and yelled out.

"Come on, we have to help them."

The others around her were spurred forward by his words and Asuna found herself following along. They didn't charge full out, as they didn't want to cause friendly damage. So when they got close Asuna found herself engaged by a mount less orc.

The greenish black creature wielded a curved dagger and quickly struck out with it. The shield attached to her left forearm was hastily used to block. But locked in close combat Asuna had a hard time bringing her long lance to bear across her body. A warg appeared from the other side and took a huge chunk out of her horse. The animal buckled and fell.

In a tangled heap Asuna lay dazed. A thought occurred to her.

'I..I-I could die right here… I really don't want to die.'

Her horse took a blow from the orc and shattered into pixels. She was not untangled but still somewhat disoriented. Before either opponent could take advantage of her another player charged and skewered the warg while a second lopped the orc's head off for a finishing blow. They final two scout members shattered into pixels. And Asuna stood up to see the remnants of her previously proud group.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Kirito POV_

Kirito watched as the two groups clashed. The Knights of Ruin did decent enough in their first charge. Kirito realized their mistake of going for the rider first instead of the warg. A mistake he had quickly learned to never make. Killing the warg always left the rider less maneuverable, whereas the warg could now fight better without a rider.

Quickly it turned into a free for all melee. The KoR seemed much less confident when in such frantic close quarters. As the final orc and warg were dispatched, Kirito did a quick count and found the group 16 horses short and five players less from when they engaged. All in all, a foolish waste of life as the npc archers were going to finish the scouts off soon enough. The charge had accomplished nothing.

The group gathered themselves and started heading alongside the wall towards the ‹‹East Gate›› where they presumable had exited. Thinking about it Kirito realized it was better they did this foolhardy charge now then later during the main part of the event. Where they would have been caught up by a larger force and completely annihilated. He remembered when he ran into the group. That girl Asuna was quite attractive. It would be a shame if a girl that pretty died so early on.

'Pretty girls are not exactly common in Aincrad. Every one lost is quite a blow to morale.'

There was a general silence around the ‹‹South Gate›› at the moment. No one had cheered, most had realized the pointlessness of what had occurred before them. Diavel was up on the wall near Kibaou. Together with his second they managed to hard the defenders back into the plaza and organize them back into place. Kirito hadn't wasted any of his arsenal as he realized the npc archers were doing well enough. While some players had attempted to hurl their picks or daggers, they missed by a large margin, even with the game's auto assist you can't huck a knife 200 yards.

Suddenly someone yelled out.

"HO-LY SHIT!"

This of course attracted everyone's attention and really the player was under stating it. Because their view was rapidly filling with a mass of black. Kirito was just as surprised as everyone else.

'How the hell did I not notice that just a minute ago…?'

He had no idea. But right now was not the time to wonder. The sight did not alarm him much more. This was expected. After the previous event. This one was not going to be something lesser.

Marching northward across the southern Aincrad plain was the second event's army. The scouts had come and gone and now it was the real deal. The force looked equal in size with the previous one. He was told it was a force of 4,500 last event. He couldn't imagine this one was less. Eleven columns by four long rows with each block 100 mobs strong. Followed by an additional block most likely comprised of elite mobs and a boss.

As the force drew closer they entered Kirito's max ‹‹Searching›› distance and allowed him to analyze what was coming their way. Along the wall others were doing the same thing. The blocks were made up of orcs. Each one was led by a standard bearer. While the rank and file bore spears and shields. They were clad in black twisted armor and Kirito could make out skin colors ranging from neon green to pitch black.

Aptly named the ‹‹Spear Orc›› and ‹‹Orc Standard Bearer›› were what Kirito could expect to face off against. At level 20 with 3,000 hp the spear orcs would not initially wear out the front lines. But their numbers would surely start to tell over time.

The standard bearer wore more impressive armor the declared their importance over the spear wielders. Clutched with both hands they bore large banners held on long black metal spikes. The banner was the black fist surrounded by flames as flown earlier by the scouts. They were level 20 as well but carried greater weight to the battlefield with 3,200 hp.

As the force continued its advance. The final block entered Kirito's range and let him get a peek at was to come near the end. The block was made up of ‹‹Uruk Fanatics ››. Wearing no armor these mobs stood taller than their orc counter parts and would have been head and shoulders above any goblin. A common family tree it was well known the goblinsorcsuruks. The uruks in attendance had the banner emblem burned onto their chest and they carried massive two-handed weapons, such as axes, maces and swords.

At level 25 they were five levels above the rank and file and each had 4,500 hp. They would be able to take quite a bit of punishment. Even without armor. Their skin varied less in color and stayed in black and gray tones. And they had long wild black hair hanging off their skulls.

But in the middle of this block towered a creature that Kirito hadn't expected. At a glance anyone with fantasy knowledge could name this creature. Troll. Named ‹‹Black Fist's Hammer›› probably for the massive war hammer slung over its back. At 14 feet tall it loomed over its army. It was not clad in any armor and its intelligence was questionable. But its strength was undeniable. At level 25 it had 8,000 hp and likely was somewhat resistant to physical damage with such a thick hide.

The troll had a small face for such a large head. It looked docile at the moment and just sort of walked along at the back of the army. But Kirito could only imagine how fearsome it would look when enraged and in the middle of combat.

The ranged division of the Aincrad defense was almost entirely made up of players who had only started levelling since the first event. They had sat the last one out hidden within the second or first tier. Here now with a front row ticket to what was about to befall them. They couldn't help but feel the fear trickle down their spines. It urged them to abandon such a foolhardy endeavor. They wouldn't last one hit against the troll.

Several did indeed turn tail and flee off the wall. The sheer terror on their faces inspired others among the crowd to flee. An impatient player yelled out.

"Well, what the fuck is it?"

A general rumble of agreement from the players in the plaza rolled around. Then Kibaou turned and with his hands on his hips struck a pose facing the crowd.

"FEAR NOT MEN! It is but a rabble of orcs and some uruks with their pet troll along for the ride. Together with Diavel leading us we cannot lose~! YEAH WOO HOO!"

His attempted bravado did little to inspire confidence in those already fleeing. Neither did it do much for those staying. Besides provide a chuckle of amusement. Kirito wondered.

'Is the man a genius and meant to soften the blow of what lays before us or is he truly such a fool? For a cactus head there is no way to know….'

With that settled those in attendance grimaced and accepted what their task now was. But it was not time to shirk or back down. They came here today knowing they would face a mighty challenge. And they will see it through till the end. Kirito split the defenders into two distinct groups. Those who had met the previous event's challenge, and perhaps some who were real life soldiers or had life and death experience were those he called ‹‹The Guardians››.

Those who would always rise up to meet the challenge of the events and were driven similarly like Kirito to prepare each month to survive. They made up about 500 of the players in attendance. A large portion of the Guardians was beta testers as they were mostly the players to do the most levelling during the first month.

This group was mid-twenties to thirties in level range. And the entire first line and most of the second line was packed with these players. Most of them were equipped in heavy armor with strong shields and fulfilled a tank role within the raid. Those who focused more on dps stood right behind the towering defenders to deal out damage from behind cover. With the higher levelled and better geared players focused at the front. The quality of defender decreased the further from the front you looked.

The first line was going to be run by Diavel's second. Who would mainly just be there to encourage players not to give up and hold strong. Diavel would be back directing players when to move forward and switch out. Switching out was a very challenging task however when you would have hundreds of orc banging on your shield wall trying to break in.

Compared to the previous event the army this time came prepared. Among one of the blocks was a giant felled tree. One end was capped with a tempered black iron spike. And all along the trunk where numerous handles. A battering ram if ever Kirito saw one. Last event the goblins had just beat on the gate with their weapons till it broke.

They would bring the gate down much quicker with the battering ram. From this point on he imagined the events would only bring more effective siege equipment to provide variety and increasing challenge. That was how rpgs worked after all. Who knows what Kayaba would cook up for them.

Down among the defenders Diavel had been yelling something about fighting hard. But Kirito just zoned his speech out. Kibaou was shouting as well. Kirito could tell the guy really liked to yell. The man's voice was clearly his favorite sound. He was really starting to piss some of the ranged division off. And what was Kibaou yelling about at that moment? Kirito listened in and actually face palmed.

'What the hell? Start throwing? They are like 400 yards out. Is the guy retarded? No one is going to just waste their ammo. Let's kill the troll? No way will we just managed to kill it before it gets into the thick of things. Likely everyone will be out of ammo any way. For the ranged defense division the assault had already begun, just it was verbally and by their own "leader".

Finally the army had stopped marching. It was now quite dark out. And there was a very frosty chill in the air. Illuminated by the large fires on the wall. 300 yards out the central block started trying to form a shield turtle around the battering ram. Being sort of successful the first block began coming their way. Two other blocks to either side began advancing as well. Not flanking the middle block but following behind to take over should the first fall.

Atop the gatehouse Diavel suddenly appeared again.

"Alright everyone this is really it! We can't fail. To fail is to condemn everyone else to death. No matter what we must defeat this army. But remember no stupid actions. Play it safe and rotate when you need to. We want no one to die tonight. Watch the backs of everyone around you. VICTORY THROUGH UNITY!"

Answering him back several thousand players chorused,

"Victory through unity!"

All Kirito could think was.

'Shiiit he surprised me and I listened through his whole bullshit speech. Can we just start fighting already I am sick of these guy's speeches.'

Kirito found himself to the left of the gate house near the stairs so he could quickly get down to his spot in line. Suddenly the npc archers reacted and as one they raised their bows up and fired. The whistling drone cut through the night. Then followed by the thunking and clinking sounds as they ricocheted of shields and armor, and several cries of pain as the orcs found themselves pierced. No kills yet though.

Seconds later another volley was released. The orcs were walking slowly to keep their pseudo shield turtle in position. But some of the ones on the edges were free game. When the shield turtle got closer, the players would be able to hurl their weapons right down on top of the orcs manning the ram. It was at this point Kirito noticed the huge pile of rocks in the gate house. And he realized someone had collected several hundred fist to head sized rocks to hurl down.

'What a shitty task that would have been.'

Kirito thought.

'Did his inventory count each one as a stack? Or did they stack to 100?'

Several volleys later and about a dozen dead orcs, the ram was now about 20 yards out and some players finally answered Kibaou's cries of action. Daggers and picks sailed out from the top of the gatehouse. As these players had been closest to Kibaou it was understandable they would have gone insane and just started hurling their weapons. Not really inflicting any damage Kirito watched as they were deflected. He then stepped forward and drew out a javelin. Cocking back his elbow he chose a target. He could sort of just line up one of the orc's carrying the ram. Inputting the motion and allowing the system to take over and guide his javelin. Kirito and every player around him watched as it soared narrowly by the shields and got stuck in the orc's throat, killing it off.

'Oh yeah how awesome was that.'

He mentally patted himself on the back. Staying cool and aloof was key to appearing cool in any situation.

Another orc instantly stepped over his downed comrade and took his place. But the damage was done and there was now a slight hole in the shield turtle. Which every single player now exploited. A rain of deadly steel began to pour down. Instantly the orcs were mown down. 200 players plus 100 archers raining down death was too much for the block of orcs and they met a swift end. As the first block disintegrated, the following four blocks rushed into position. And it seemed they were not completely unprepared.

Somehow while analyzing Kirito had missed that one of the blocks was labeled ‹‹Orc Slinger›› They took out hide pouches and with a whirring sound whipped 100 stones right at the players on the wall. Several players, who were lower level and had decided to help the fight by throwing things, were caught in the head and killed. Kirito saw two die himself and guessed another handful were killed off at the same time. Those rocks were deadly.

'Don't get beamed in the head. Although… I might be able to survive a straight head shot… Not worth it to find out.'

The three remaining infantry blocks used the cover provided by the slingers and rushed to the ram. They picked it up and formed another shield turtle. But already in position they stepped up to begin beating the gate down. And a beat down it was. With five quick smashes, the gate broke apart and surprised the first line with how quick it happened. Orcs immediately started pouring in as the battering ram was extricated and thrown to the side.

While that happened Kirito and the ranged players were player peek-a-boo by popping up and hurling a weapon then ducking down. The npc archers thankfully seemed to be focused on the slingers. For five minutes the two groups duked it out hurling death back and forth. But with no cover and less numbers the slingers fell.

By now all three groups were pushing against the front line. And the defenders met the charge solidly without giving ground. Even with the ferocity brought by the orcs, these battle tempered players were able to weather the storm and fight back. A large amount of them had been in similar positions in the first or second lines during the first event.

Players in the gate house used the murder holes to slaughter the orcs as they charged through. The blocks were meat grinded and now about 50 orcs remained keeping the assault up. By now dozens of players had run out of ammo having spammed their weaponry as quickly as possible and were resorting to throwing the rocks. The pile was quickly diminishing.

Another three blocks proceeded to come forward. Already five blocks of the first 11 were gone. With no cover fire, all they could do was hold their shields above their heads and hope. But as they drew within range, the players unleashed their salvo and again the orcs started hemorrhaging numbers.

Kirito had thrown half his picks and 1/4 of his javelins. Thankfully, throwing weapons didn't take nearly anything out of a player. The system did 90% of the work, while the player just had to pick a target and initiate the motion. So Kirito and the others wouldn't be tiring.

About 80 orcs made it to the defensive line. But Diavel's second must have known what he was doing as they easily fended them off. Then a shout rang out and huge portions of the second line moved forward and switched with the front line. Already another three blocks were approaching. These orc's advanced as the others had, slowly with shields raised to ward off the archers. But 100 yards out, right as the first couple players started throwing. The orcs sprinted all out at the gate.

Naturally everyone missed due to the change. The orcs thundered through the gate and clashed against the newly formed front line. Caught for a moment the line seemed to buckle in several places. But a man stood tall in the middle slashing left and right with a huge shield warding off orcs at the same time. The man was Diavel's second.

Kirito had no time to observe however as he was still busy throwing javelins at the orcs stuck outside the gate, waiting to get in. Thankfully the line only buckled and several players' health dipped into the yellow. But as the fight died down they grabbed potions and drank deep. Recovering their lost hp.

The stone pile was about 1/4 the size it was at the start, nearly empty. Most of the players were now relying on it. Kirito had several picks, his daggers and 15 javelins. That's when the orc's second row made its move. All at once. Along with the remaining three blocks of the first line. Unfortunately it turned out one of these blocks was also another slinger block.

Which again surprised several people and led to them dying from rocks to the cranium. The ranged division hunkered down behind cover and let the npcs duel. They continued to drop rocks down the murder holes onto the orc's heads.

So as thirteen blocks stormed forward under cover the 150 players forming the front line had to dig deep and prepare themselves. If they managed to fight this off they would surely get a break and switch. Yeah a break. Totally worth what was coming towards them.

But the pure force of weight behind 1,300 orcs was much more than the 150 opposing could muster or withstand. As shields pushed against shields and swords and spears bit into flesh, the front line was constantly stepping back so as to not be shoved to the ground and trampled. But the gradual giving a ground couldn't last, one of the less experienced players shielding the right side was shoved too violently and tripped backwards causing two players behind him to trip as well.

The players who now made up the second line were a mixture of recovered first liners, left over second liners and very eager third liners. So naturally some of those eager third liners ran forward to cover the gap. While eager, their abilities were definitely in question. One tripped over the players trying to stand back up knocking them down again. While the other two who rushed forward managed to navigate to the buckling line. One with a shield immediately elbowed his way into place. And did a decent enough job holding that pressure. While the player behind starting stabbing wildly.

He quickly over extended himself and an orc replied in kind by jabbing that player in the face. The player and orc both met their end. The second line was moving in behind to support the front line, adding more weight to push back against the orcs. With around 500 players pushing against the remaining 900 orcs the players stopped giving ground and stood resolute.

The orcs raged against them furious and violent. Trying to find any opening to exploit. Having failed to made headway in the previous gap they were very eager for another try. The slingers were soon finished off and with the archers now raining down arrows onto the orc's back. This orc assault was ground out and vanquished.

At this point Kirito had exhausted his projectiles and grouped back up with Fuurinkazan. Everyone else up top was also out of ammo. And a large portion of them were running up into the second district to purchase more. Naturally with the funds they just earned by slaughtering orcs wholesale they would have plenty to spend.

The orc wave was finished off and the front liners regrouped. Their losses hadn't been anything large. But every loss was a key player in Aincrad's defense. Those who had held the front line since the first switch and most of the second line that had reinforced the first line fell back to rest. The eager third line was shifted forward and prepared to receive their enemy. Diavel's second still lead from the front. He had stayed strong without needed a break the whole fight. And he appeared to not be in need of one any time soon.

Kirito and Fuurinkazan were just behind the front line. Ready to assist their side. And then an entire row of orcs came forward 1,100 strong and crashed into the third line turned first. The backup forth line was called forward to assist the third line while the original first and second rested. As the orcs were ground down to half of this wave's original numbers another 1,000 orcs came dashing forward. The huge surge of orc numbers added with the less experienced players leading the defense at the moment lead to a high casualty rate.

The resting experienced players wanted to help but they knew they were would be needed soon when the harder challenges come forth. Players were now streaming back and forth from the second tier to resupply projectiles as they ran out and had to go buy more.

Suddenly on the left side in front of Kirito several players holding the line when down back to back. A gap appeared. And the orcs quickly surged forward to break the defensive line. As Kirito and Fuurinkazan stepped up to hold the hole the entire left side of the front line had to give ground quickly to stay in any sort of cohesion. Folding back to protect the rest of the line's flank dozens of players became desperately trapped in a pocket against the wall.

About 300 orcs remained and the players had taken 100 casualties. But the worst had yet to even come. When the boss and his posse rolled in the death toll would very likely sky rocket. Then as if called forth by the players dread. The troll came lumbering into the tunnel. Arrow littered its torso but it ignored them. From behind it the uruks streamed forth. The orcs cleared a straight line through themselves and the troll inserted itself.

The troll's bloodlust was up and roaring. An angry visage replaced its early dumb docile one. And its war hammer sang a tale of injury and death as it smashed into the front line. All remaining resting players got to their feet and surged forward to reinforce the frontline that just took a heavy hit. The troll hit the right side of the line.

Giving ground frantically the players barely held together to try and stay out of the trolls reach. They were just short of all out retreat. A lack of discipline and self-survival instinct took hold. And some players in the troll's path did turn and flee. As it continued forward the line just melted away rather than challenge the behemoth. Diavel's shouts fell on deaf ears. The orcs and uruks inserted themselves into the new gaps and individual fights were breaking out all along the line.

It was utter chaos. Cramped with little room and maximum chance of death. It looked hopeless. The archer's arrows seemed to have no effect on the troll as they continued hammering it. Then the troll reared back to unleash another mighty hammer blow when the unthinkable happened. As it swung the hammer blow slammed into a shield and was rebuked. A shockwave blew out from the contact. And somehow someone had blocked the troll and now was holding its agro.

Then the hero spoke.

"Kill the troll, Kill it! Kill this god damn beast NOW! I will keep its attention."

Like a divine savior the man's words captivated and inspired those around him. They sprang to action, defeating whatever orc or uruk before them and rushed to aid the hero. Sword strokes and spear points struck true and the troll's hp began dropping quickly. Its lack of proper armor now coming into account. And while they dealt it damage, Diavel's second in command held the troll off toe to toe. He matched every hammer stroke with a steadfast shield.

Kirito was stuck holding the already overrun left flank wading deep into the fray and striking down orc and uruk alike. His effort on the left kept the center and right from being overrun from behind. Along with Fuurinkazan and several dozen others, they staged a fierce attempt to cut through to the players they had lost trapped against the wall earlier.

After several minutes of fighting forwards, they arrived at the wall to find all of them missing. Slain while completely surrounded. No one said anything. They only turned around and prepared to join the last few pockets of fighting.

As Kirito turned around he witnessed Agil, Agil of all people, the man who Kirito often did business with. Rush forward and slam a war hammer onto the troll's back. And earn himself the last attack bonus.

With the troll dead, the last pockets of resistance crumbled and the second event came to a close.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

It was an exhausted Kirito who found himself crashing face first into his pillow at an inn. He knew others who had fought at the front the whole time were probably more tired. But he didn't care. Sleep was his mistress and he would not ignore her call.

Klein had told him that the man who had held the troll at bay was named ‹‹Heathcliff››. But after the last orc had died Kirito had dropped from the party and bid farewell to Fuurinkazan. Claiming exhaustion as his escape. Not that any of them were up for celebrating. They were looking for a bed same as he. Kirito agreed to meet up with them for lunch tomorrow before turning and stumbling off.

On his journey to his inn. Kirito had passed through a veritable river of players rushing down from the second tier. They were all cheering and celebrating. Tears of happiness and joy they cried. But Kirito felt numb to their celebration. Lots of people had just died. And he was so, so very tired. He just needed to sleep. Thinking could be done the next day.

And so when he arrived at his rented inn, he walked straight to the bed and fell face first onto it, only to pass out.

'Yes, sleep is good.'

He thought just before unconsciousness hit.

* * *

That is that. End of the second arc. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to leave a review or write me a pm. I love getting the feedback.


	9. Third Event Arc: Ch 9

Yo, time for chapter 9.

* * *

_January 7th_  
_Aincrad Third Tier, Inn_

Kirito woke up the next day strangely calm. He had expected to have another chaotic night filled with harsh dreams. However he wasn't plagued with nightmares, something he was very grateful for. Lazily scanning his loot, he tried to decide on a course of action. He knew he could continue heading farther north. The Hynafol Highway already pointed where to head to.

'But the journey north will only continue to take longer. Then again I don't know the areas in any of the other directions and I could waste time just wandering around trying to find someplace to level. If the progression continues as is, where the higher level content is farther and farther each time, there won't be any time to level at all!'

Still undecided, Kirito remembered how after the last event the horse vendor had suddenly appeared. It made him wonder whether there would be anything new in the city this time. With an adventure to plan, Kirito roused himself from bed, and realized he had yet to spend any of his level up points. So he quickly slotted them into place as he was now level 41.

From the fight at Graig and the whole second event Kirito had managed to level from 37 to where he was now. He believed that he was the highest level player in the game but he was worried about how he was even going to keep his lead. As he rarely interacted with other players, it was entirely possible someone else was a higher level.

Eventually he made it out of his room at the inn and was given a complimentary breakfast by the npc matron downstairs. Happily snacking away, Kirito was interrupted by the notorious,

_Bing!_

Argo had once again summoned him to her tea shop. Deciding that visiting her might help him further his plans, Kirito set off to ‹‹Teattle Tales››. He then remembered promising to meet up with Klein and co. later for lunch and he sent off a message while walking, promising to arrive at the same location of their previous lunch at 1:00 pm.

While it was a late time for lunch it was already 11:30 am and Kirito had just eaten breakfast. He had time to kill doing whatever with Argo, a visit to Liz's and a stop at Agil's. He also needed to stop off at Arisawa's and with Liz's help get some more javelins and some throwing picks. Sadly he had forgotten to check in front of the gate last night. Not that he expected any of his weaponry to have stayed over the length of the battle. But he had hoped.

Walking through Aincrad Kirito observed how happy people seemed. Players could be seen strolling through the streets smiling and chatting about the event from yesterday. For the most part everyone within the game was still naïve in the aspect that they hadn't witnessed dozens of players get killed at the same time. Only those who fought yesterday or a month ago could comprehend how today should be a day of sadness and grieving. A victory was won yesterday, but at a high cost. While he didn't particularly care about those who died. He knew the public should acknowledge the sacrifices made.

Walking to Argo's didn't take much longer. And upon entering he saw her chatting with a hooded player. Kirito caught her eye and waited. Within the next minute Argo finished her business and dismissed her informer, at least Kirito assumed him to be an informer, one can never be sure with the information business.

"Hi there Argo, business is well this morning I take it?"

Kirito greeted.

"Ahh Kirito don't let my little rat bother you. He is just a pair of ears. Nothing to be concerned with. Now anyway, down to the matter at hand. Still no fish big enough to buy your prize. Perhaps if you would let me slip out that the "Great Black Hero" wants to sell it? Think business will pick up?"

"No!"

Kirito exclaimed. Then with a mutter he continued.

"Never say that Argo, I hate that title and want nothing to do with it. I hope people will start to forget it. I didn't do anything especially heroic this event. I spent most of my time off on the side clearing away the rampaging mobs that broke through the lines in front of me."

"Well look Kirito,"

He noticed she used his actual name there.

"I have a business to run, this tea shop doesn't actually sell much tea. I have more plans to expand my business. But one of my competitors is starting to gain ground against me because of all the time I have spent trying to sell bow. I need more col asap. So whatever I need to gossip, or need to leak, I am going to. If I have to even leak who the almighty black himself is, I might just."

Argo seemed to be serious. Kirito was quickly scrambling his brain to come up with one of a thousand reasons why Argo should not do such a thing. Unfortunately his lack of social skills left him speechless. Instead all he managed to get out was a series of strangled noises.

"Puh... Mrrh. Well... Ahhh..."

Then he fell into silence. A frown marring his features. Argo quickly spoke again.

"Kirito I am serious. I have wasted a lot of time with this bow situation. I thought it would pay off much sooner. ‹‹Derrik›› ‹‹The Dirt›› himself is taking away lots of my clients. He has lots of popular information about big names. And people are visiting him more and more often. So I need something now. To play this field I either need to sell the bow now to minimize the loss of profits or I need to have some large scandal or a juicy bit of information. In terms of numbers that Dirt bastard is ahead of me now."

Still silent Kirito didn't know what to say.

'Information wars aren't my thing. I don't understand people enough for such things. If I was Argo, all I would sell was hard information facts. Like how much an item costs of something.'

"Alright that's it Kirito I am going to have to go public with who you are. Or you pay me 25,000 col."

Gob smacked Kirito sat there and didn't notice as he dribbled tea on himself.

"Are... Are you trying to well, you know blackmail me?"

Was all he got out.

"Yes."

She succinctly replied.

"You know how I operate Kirito, business above friends. I am a rat after all."

She had a feral smile in place and her eyes were drilling into Kirito. At that moment the situation snapped into place for Kirito.

"Wha- are you serious Argo? 25,000 col is a ridiculous amount of col. I have gear to buy. I can't afford that. And besides you can't be serious I thought we were friends..."

Trailing off Kirito noticed her eyes still focused onto him. He ducked his gaze and saw the tea in his lap. His face began heating in embarrassment.

"Business is business Kirito, you contracted me to sell your bow and my profits are suffering from it. I need recompense now."

Her attitude toward this situation was really pissing him off he realized. The shock of this whole thing was wearing off and his anger was starting to flood his veins. His growing rage demanded a response. He jerked to his feet and slammed a fist onto the table.

"You know what Argo, this is bullshit! I clearly misjudged you."

Kirito yelled at her. Thankfully Argo couldn't see that there was a damp patch on his black shirt or she would have laughed at the poor guy. His small frame and feminine features didn't cast much of an intimidating aura. But Argo maintained a straight face in front of his anger.

Then she merely stuck her right hand out and rubbed her fingers together in a recognizable gesture. Kirito glared hard at her. His anger rarely surfaced but he couldn't take one of the few people he thought of as friends doing this. He never took rejection well.

"ARRRGH! FUCK!"

He exclaimed and swung an arm harshly through the air. Argo still showed no outward reaction.

"You dam bitch! I can't believe this shit. Fine fucking take the dam money. But you better not tell anyone what you threatened."

He materialized 25,000 col into its coin form and started tossing it about. The coins thudded everywhere on the wooden tables and floor as Kirito turned his back and strode toward the door. Where he turned around to say a final parting.

"Oh yeah Argo, you can forget about selling the bow. Maybe I will go see if Derrik the Dirt can do better business."

Kirito stormed out of her shop his rage full tilt. He knocked into someone's shoulder hard but kept walking. He ignored their startled cry. His thoughts were in a crazy flurry, jumping about fueled by his distressed state. He realized he needed to meet Klein soon.

"That is not going to happen."

He all but growled under his breath. The blow up with Argo had brought back several memories he would rather forget. He wanted to be alone and meeting Klein and his cheery friends wasn't something he would be able to manage. He snapped open his menu and typed out a quick message.

_Klein,_

_Sorry, but something has come up and I can't make lunch. Good luck._

_-Kirito_

His plans for the day were thoroughly ruined by this event the more he thought over it the more his anger continued to stew. An old memory from his childhood was attacking his thoughts and he couldn't stand it. He really needed to be alone. Even the people on the street looking at him was too much at the moment.

He quickly called Midnight and watched as his companion rode up the street toward him. He fed the horse and mounted him. At a quick trot he set off to the North Gate. He had no intention of spending any more time in Aincrad. He was in the plaza before the third tier's north gate and was about to ride out when a player caught his attention. He couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl as their head was between their knees as they sat huddled in the gateway. Kirito made a split second decision.

"Hey,"

He called out.

"You in the gate, catch."

He tossed the materialized bow at the figure and without looking rode Midnight out onto the plain surrounding Aincrad. There was no new building adjacent to the horse salesmen Kirito noticed. Hopefully he would be able to calm down as he rode farther and farther away from Aincrad.

'See you in 29 days Aincrad.'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Argo POV_

'I can't believe I did that to him. He looked really pissed... Fucking Derrik!'

Argo mentally ranted as she sat calm and composed before a shifty looking player wearing attire similar to her own. Dark brown hooded cloak, silent shoes and very dark neutral colored clothing.

"Ahem."

He coughed to get her attention.

"Did you bring what I asked for Rat? Or does it have to go public?"

A sneer crossed her face. She pulled a sack out from in her cloak.

"As discussed, here is 25,000 col." She handed over the sack. "Don't try me again Dirt, or I will end you."

Without another word between the two, Argo stood up and strode away.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Liz POV_

Today had started differently for Liz. She had woken up from the obnoxious bing telling her she received a message. Honestly why was there no option to lower the volume or mute the notice when sleeping. She needed her beauty sleep. But SAO didn't really seem to care. Liz never let a message sit without reading it. She had done this one morning and lost a regular customer for it. Not wanting a bad reputation she know responded to customers at all times of the day.

'Gamers and their dam odd hours of playing. Why does someone need their favorite dagger repaired at 4:30 in the morning? I swear. Just sleep like normal people!'

But she realized this new message came around eight. She should probably get up. The day after the last event had seen lots of business. Today should be no different. She opened the message and read.

_Attention Blacksmith_

_Today marks the return of the illustrious Blacksmith's Guild, attached are directions to our headquarters. To continue smithing beyond the basics, all smiths are required to appear at the guild meeting at 2pm on this day. Failure to comply will demand you reacquire your smithy licensing. Let us hammer up some camaraderie later today._

_-Guild Head ‹‹Long John Steelver››_

'Whaaa..? A mandatory meeting. I didn't know there were crafting guilds. This might actually be fun. I may be able to get more recipes. Ohhhh I love new recipes!'

The next 3 hours passed slowly for the smith as no one entered the shop and she was put off by that. Why was her show getting passed over today! Finally 1:45 pm rolled around and the over eager smith with her hair dyed pink set off to the new headquarters. It was located within the smithy section of the 2nd tier. She could actually recall the building. It was large and wooden. No one had been able to purchase the property. Which had vexed several smiths who believed themselves great enough to use it as a store.

She arrived to see another smith she recognized entering the building. Liz knew there were about 30 other full time smiths. She had met most of them, as occasionally in the month before the second event they had met up to discuss the way of the smith. The three meetings had been very informal and unofficial and mostly turned into players bragging who crafted the best what. She hoped with an npc leading this meeting that perhaps something worthwhile would happen.

As she entered, Liz realized that this building had no forge within. The lack of chimney should have alerted her earlier. It was a two story building with a large open bottom floor. Chairs were placed before a small podium she counted 32 chairs filled with 25 smiths. The building seemed much like a meeting hall. Which made sense she thought.

Looking around it seemed that most everyone had already arrived earlier. There was a non-responsive npc standing behind the podium, she knew it was non responsive because three players were in front of it trying to gain its attention with no such luck. She seated herself next to the only other female smith. Liz had spoken with her several times and found the women to be very strong-willed, and opinionated. There was no haggling with her in her shop. But they got on well enough when discussing their craft. Several minutes later the last chair was filled and the npc sprang to life.

"Greetings all, I am ‹‹Long John Steelver›› head of the Blacksmith's guild. I request you refer to me as LJ. Now my absence these past two month has been troublesome, the craft of smithing had nearly died out in Aincrad when I left to go to the annual smith guild convention in ‹‹Tywodach››. Now I come back to find a mass of new smiths and no guild for them. I hope you accept my most humble apologies. I spent many extra weeks in Tywodach as I believed my presence here wasn't required."

LJ seemed like your arch-typical old man. Long gray hair hung limply down and his long gray beard hung even lower. Liz noticed it moved as he spoke and couldn't look away.

"But news reached my ears and I sped back with all haste. Now we have gathered and I must tell you all that to continue your craft within the city you must join the guild. There are no requirements, fees, or rules for the guild. Other than membership is required, and you must attend at least one meeting per year. Here in the guildhall is not a place to practice nor peddle your craft. This is a place for colleagues to discuss ideas, and admire each other's skill. Once a month there will be a meeting, with a small tournament where I will judge your crafts and the winner will receive a prize. I do this in the hope none of you become complacent as smiths and continue to explore our trade."

He held up a scroll that materialized into his hands. Clearly some kind of recipe. And Liz instantly decided to do whatever was necessary to get it. She needed more recipes, she just couldn't live without ever one she could get. Then she listened as the man resumed.

"I hold vast experience and knowledge when it comes to smithing. The guild has separate ranks to that of actual blacksmith ranks. There is a way to increase rank within the guild. You may be considered Journeyman smiths now, but in the guild you are all initiates. By completing challenges to show me specific, higher and higher difficulty items, I will increase your rank. And as higher ranked members of the guild I will share more of my knowledge with you. So I look forward to getting to know you all. Welcome to the Blacksmith's guild."

The npc had gone on for a bit, and Liz paid attention the whole time. She especially liked the idea of winning prizes with her crafting skill. She could only hope the guild head had recipes to share with higher ranked members. With the meeting over she went to find out the first guild challenge. LJ was crowded by eager smiths.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

Throughout Aincrad, members of the different crafting sects had received similar messages requiring them to attend similar meetings in similar buildings across the second tier. In total, the blacksmiths, the woodworkers, the jewelers, and the tailors each had a meeting. But there were other unknown craft professions that came back into town today. Among them were the construction engineers, the siege engineers, the potioneers, and the joint pair of rune crafting and enchanting. In areas of the city that had been empty of activity ever since the first day, they now teemed with npcs. The npcs were going about their normal scripts for the day but for the citizens of Aincrad it was a whole new routine.

Within several days of the second event ending, these professions would find many eager hands to have a go at the craft.

‹‹Construction Engineering›› is the skill that allows players to build, repair and augment structures and infrastructures. So immediately several players had set off to rebuild the two damaged gates from the first and second event. Several players had taken it upon themselves to rebuild the burnt out buildings from the first event as well.

‹‹Siege Engineering›› is the skill that allows players to build, repair, augment, and operate siege equipment and weaponry. Unlike most crafts, siege engineers need to work in teams, the smallest team is a two man, while some of the largest projects can require many players. It was quickly found out that you couldn't just acquire the skill and build yourself a trebuchet.

A siege engineer had to spend many hours grinding out the small pieces like gears, winches, counter weights, and other important infrastructure, that would later be used to put together real siege machinery. After several days players discovered that these two guilds had set up a joint project of rebuilding the main road that used to run north through the forest to the town of Graig.

The npc guild heads had initiated the project. No one was sure why Graig was chosen to have its road rebuilt when people had managed to discover one other town as well. In fact no one within the city could claim to have ever been to Graig.

So with this joint project in the works, players could grind out skill points working on the road rather than assembling gears, or in the construction engineers case, it just gave them an easy activity to grind out points with. As you could grind out large beams and such, but there was no room within Aincrad proper to assemble them together.

‹‹Potioneering››is the skill that allows players to mix and brew potions. Such as health potions, status effect cures, and at high levels, potions that temporarily boosted stats and ability. The opposite side of potioneering is creating poisons, acids, and status effect inflicting potions. These could be applied to weapons, or for some of the acids and status inflicters, they could be thrown.

The ability to create health potions, even if only the basic ones that healed 100 hp, is having a huge effect on the Aincrad economy. Most players do not want to risk travelling out to farm for the potion mats, so the pots were limited in supply while there demand continued soaring. Everyone wanted as many health potions, as strong as they could get them. The first player to craft the +200 hp potion had to go into hiding as his shop was nearly the scene of a riot.

While it was possible to get random potion drops, no one ever sold those and they had been heavily protected. During the first and second event Diavel and gotten hundreds of donated pots and spread them out among front line fighters to help them heal during battle. So the constant influx of strong pots was wreaking havoc.

‹‹Runic Enchanting›› is the skill that allows players to carve runes into objects, then by taking the power out of other objects, transfer it to power their runes. In essence magic. No one was really sure how far this craft could be taken. It was mostly a mystery and its popularity wasn't very high once people realized it had no immediate effect for them. So the enchanters spent lots of time carving basic runes to grind xp.

To carve a rune, the system would provide you an overlay of sorts that allowed you to follow the pattern and carve the rune into whatever you were attempting to carve. But the player still had to actually carve the rune themselves. So it required a high degree of real skill. Another reason this craft had a smaller following then the others. But those that stayed were diligent and continued to learn.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

Besides the new hustle of bustle of all the crafting. The first tier also found itself with new additions. A collection of buildings gained npcs. These were the first npcs to take positions within the top tier besides the guards that patrolled it occasionally. These npcs had a lot of attention on them. For several reasons, first being that they are in the top tier, second they allowed for players to create guilds, third they allowed players to buy tracts of land on the plain that surrounds Aincrad, and fourth they could teach players a new skill.

‹‹Leadership›› is the skill the npcs in the top district would teach players who were at least level 30, had been a guild leader at one point, and had killed at least one event mob. Kind of strange requirements but there was nothing the players could do about them. The skill itself passively gave a small bonus to players within the leader's party, and eventually to the leader's raid. Players could command groups of npcs to fight for them. But this feature was strange. The Aincrad npcs would not leave the walls if commanded. And no one could control more than five at one time.

Another feature of the leadership skill was ‹‹Banner››. Banners were an equip-able item, which someone with leadership could wield. They increased the passive effect that a leader had. Often creating a larger effect radius and amplifying the player's effect. Some banners weaken the opponent while others strengthen the leader's allies. The banner's design was customize-able. Not a largely popular skill as not many players could learn it.

Guilds had sprung up across Aincrad. Smaller guilds like ‹‹Fuurinkazan›› mostly kept to themselves, as they had already functioned like a guild prior to the actually being able to. These guilds spent their time out of the city, leveling up and questing. These were players that could be categorized as either mid-low level guardians or up and comers. That is they were either considered to be part of the elite core of players who stood at the fore front of each event, or they were on their way to being such.

Since the second event, and with the increased amount of proper parties since the formation of guilds, the amount of up and comers had received a large increase. Before the second event about 3,000 players had been participating to help defend Aincrad. Many more players, now about 20,000 in total, had taken to the field, either as warriors fighting to level up or, craft professionals working to improve Aincrad. Since dozens of players with no combat ability were trying to venture into the north forest to work on the road, they needed to be defended.

A man named ‹‹Thinker›› had stepped up to provide the service. He had a large guild composed of lots of up and comers. Players who were eager to get out and help. Thinker named his guild, the ‹‹Aincrad Liberation Force››. This guild spent a lot of time providing aid, they helped grind mats for players, they defended them while they worked on the road, and their more experienced members even spent time training and teaching those over eager players battling boars all day long. This led to the clearing of the plain, in that players had finally left the boar massacre and were now out battling around the fringes of the plain, into new territory. So the ALF provided many helpful services, they promised to help, train and feed anyone who joined. ALF's numbers were rapidly growing.

Now with Diavel's new guild ‹‹Knights of Unity›› recruiting large portions of the mid and high level players. This left most players in a guild. Either one of the two larger ones, a crafting guild, the merchant's guild, or a smaller one made up of people they knew or that had a common goal, focus, or idea. Solo player's decreased heavily in number. The KoU had gone as one large group and moved in mass southward. Presumably to level up.

With so much change going on, Argo had no time to dwell on her fight with Kirito. She was working hard every day. There was lots of new rumors and facts floating around, and people are a curious bunch after all, so the information selling business was booming as well. Argo had started this in a worse spot then her larger competitor. But her cunning had narrowed the gap between the two. A silent war was raging between the Dirt and the Rat with no side ahead.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_POV Change_  
_Aincrad Third Tier, North Gate_

A hooded figure sat there contemplating her fate in life. She had lived an unenjoyable life for the majority of her time. Shunned and scorned once people realized her true nature. She had tried again and again to be strong, but nothing had worked for her. She thought that if she was able to stare a dragon down and win, maybe she would be able to translate the courage to her real life. So she had bought a copy of SAO. Her fear had returned strongly with Kayaba's announcement. So much so that she had spent the first month holed up in an inn, too frightened to associate with the outside world.

She had counted down with dread the 30 days till she presumed the end would come. But somehow, miraculously the first event had been overcome. And the girl had gained the courage to travel outside the city and begin questing, she had gone south and there was a water mill that was a quest hub. She spent the entire second month there leveling up. She had made friends with a player who fancied himself a warrior of great skill and renown. But she knew otherwise.

Foolishly the player had wormed his way into the second line of defense during the second event. He had fallen during the first arrow volley from the mounted scouts. She had learned from that day, witnessing her first death in the game, which was her friend's, and then the subsequent large amount of death that had followed. That she must become ice, emotion created problems for someone in a combat situation. By becoming like ice she could deaden herself to the world and fight to her true potential, but this revelation was blocked in her mind by yesterday's experience.

During the battle she had found herself atop the wall hurling throwing picks left and right. She preferred ranged combat but the motion of hurling a weapon over and over didn't suit her much. With no alternative she dealt with it, melee combat was no something she wanted to be involved in.

When the battle ended she had wandered all over the city in a lost haze. Her one friend was dead and she had watched as players who tried even harder than herself failed and died. She was so lost she hadn't realized when she had sat down in the gate arch and got lost in her thoughts even more. She hadn't slept once over the course of the night.

Rather she was in a trance like half-awake state. Hours later the approach of a horse could be heard, not by the girl as she was lost in her mind, but all the same the clop clop of a horse approached. A voice could be heard calling out then a slight whoosh of air as something was thrown. A thump as the object collided with its destination and then resumed the clop clop of a horse riding away.

Asada Shino aka ‹‹Sinon›› was wrenched from her despairing thoughts when something collided with her head. She jerked up and saw someone riding away on a black horse. She then noticed what had hit her, it was a large black longbow, and Sinon had no idea what to think.

* * *

Yahoo! Chapter done.

Ok so in effect magic will exists. It is in the form of potions, runes and enchanting. It will really play more of a support role within the story. There won't be players casting any spells.

Thanks for reading, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter please feel free to leave a review or write me a pm, I will try to answer any and all questions or comments.


	10. Third Event Arc: Ch 10

Yo! Let's get rolling with chapter 10.

* * *

_January 13th_  
_Hynafol Highway_

The road north split at a major intersection where the western path led towards Graig, the southern path led south towards Aincrad and the north-eastern path led off into the Rhewi range. The path north-east eventually grew larger and gained the name of the Hynafol Highway. No one remembered what lay on the far side but many orcs had been seen coming south along it.

The part of the Rhewi range where the highway cut through was near the center of the range. The tallest peaks grouped themselves in the vicinity. But a medium-sized pass cut through the imposing mountains and made crossing them much simpler, especially with a large cobblestone road to follow.

The road was not in great condition however, with an untold amount of wear and tear after an unknown amount of years the cobbled stones were gouged out in places, and parts had sunk into the ground in others. It was on a whole however still easily traversable even by large groups. Only groups with wagons would find themselves in some tough situations.

It was right before the path really got into the mountain pass proper that Kirito sat atop Midnight. It was snowing hard today and his visibility was pretty low. He had been in the mountains several times in the previous month and the cold temperature of the season was harsh. He was weary of going further into the storm and having to spend the night in the pass with the terrible weather. He had no idea if the cold weather affected Midnight or not. And orcs were often seen on the road when Graig sent scouts to the area.

Kirito had bundled himself back up when he left Graig that morning. He had considered buying a blanket for Midnight but his low funds from Argo's dealings had decided for him and Midnight was left bare to the elements. Snapping himself from his thoughts, Kirito gently nudged Midnight forward into a quick trot up the road. He might as well start this crazy venture. Incase Midnight freezes over he would rather get as far as possible before then.

About an hour into the trek upward, the gradient was continuing to increase and Kirito had yet to encounter anything. The weather had remained the same but the temperature seemed to be getting colder. Curse Kayaba for some of the realism he implemented!

He was patting Midnight absently when suddenly an arrow slammed into Midnight's neck near Kirito's right hand. On instinct Kirito gripped the reins and jerked hard to the right. Aligning them up with the arrows flight path.

Two more arrows cut through the storm in their direction and one caught Kirito in the left shoulder while the third whizzed past. He cursed under his breath at the sudden pain then kicked his heels in hard and Midnight leaped forward. Kirito spotted three figures about ten yards out, the limit he could see in this weather. The first archer managed another shot which caught Midnight in the chest, the horse let out a pained cry but dutifully continued on.

They closed the distance and Kirito slashed down right across the face of one of the figures he now identified as a ‹‹Highway Patrol Orc›› level 30, something not particularly a threat to him. After the face slash he managed a follow through backward strike after passing the orc. The mob fell to the ground stunned and inflicted with a DoT.

He stopped Midnight just past the two other orcs. He dismounted and dashed to the nearest one. Both orcs had drawn swords and in a clash of metal Kirito met one's blade. Continuing his forward momentum he struck out with his hand initiating a left hook which stunned the orc for a second. He spun to the far side from the second orc and dodged the strike that was meant to hamstring him.

He stretched the spinning movement out and initiated a three strike combo sword skill, it ended with his sword stabbed through the orc's heart. He quickly pulled his sword out of the creature's chest as it fell life less to the ground only to shatter into the countless polygons associated with death.

The third orc glared at him as it stepped forward to fight. Not one to waste time on trash mobs, Kirito initiated ‹‹Sonic Leap›› and jumped the distance between the combatants and with a death stroke into the collarbone struck the orc down. The crit struck true and the orc was no more.

Swinging his sword once to each side in what he considered to be his trademark flourish, Kirito sheathed his sword as the first orc shattered into pixels from the accrued damage over time before him. He hurried over to Midnight to assess the damage.

Thankfully his partner had withstood the arrows and was waiting patiently for the projectiles to be removed, his hp meter slowly depleting from their presence in his neck and chest. Kirito quickly pulled them out and slapped a generic bandage over which replenished Midnight's depleted hp. Midnight whinnied pitifully, whether from their last encounter or the approaching storm Kirito really didn't know. Having remounted the duo continued onward into the pass.

It was now late at night, and they still hadn't come across a downward slope. So Kirito called it quits and since he had no idea what was around him he decided to camp right where they were. At least the ground was flat here. So he deployed his campsite and set the campfire heat to full blast. Even then the small fire struggled to provide heat in this environment.

Kirito parked Midnight near the fire, his horse wouldn't wander so he didn't bother staking him down. Kirito quickly ate and then tried to block the tent entrance off to keep any semblance of heat inside. He then materialized every bit of cloth and clothing he owned and buried himself within.

The next morning Kirito awoke to a strange sight. The storm had worn itself out over the course of the night and Midnight was laying down tinged blue in places lightly dusted in snow. Not to mention frozen stiff as a board. Apparently the cold did get to Midnight as he had frozen to death at some point that night. He felt bad for the horse but then again Midnight was just his summon-able mount, why worry?

'Well I imagine that could have been me if I was less prepared. Death by the elements in a game where fighting trolls and dragons is the norm, ha! What a way to go that would be. I wonder if I need to break Midnight's body up so that I can re-summon him tomorrow. Better safe than sorry I guess.'

And with the destruction of his frozen horse Kirito packed the campsite away and began to trek off onward down the Hynafol Highway.

'Now to continue farther northward, let's hope it's not too much colder...'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 16th_  
_Hynafol Expanse_

Waking up early Kirito summoned Midnight and found himself finally looking downwards. The pass was now leading him out of the mountain range. So he managed to make his way and out onto flat barren snow-covered terrain before early evening. A large message in bold appeared before his vision, telling him of his area change and naming the new zone ‹‹Hynafol Tundra››. The only features he could make out were the mountains behind him and the slight depression where the road could be discerned.

He had not encountered any more orc patrols since several days ago. This was the third day since he had entered the pass and he was finally out and ready to explore.

With no other option, Kirito continued on the highway. After several hours he could see something on the horizon. Hoping to find a place to stay the night he sped up slightly. As the setting sun started bleeding into the sky he was able to make out what looked like a series of huts halfway built into the ground. The roof of each hut was a thick mat of interwoven grasses turned brown from age each dusted with snow.

Campfires were scattered everywhere on the ground. The huts were built in two concentric circles around a giant rock that stuck 20 feet into the air. The village was a ten minute walk off the side of the highway. When he entered the village it was completely deserted. But the smell of smoke hung in the air and footprints littered the ground everywhere. He walked through the village toward the central rock and as he approached he noticed a small entrance near the base of rock.

When he went to investigate a figure had burst out of the opening and tackled him. His head slammed hard into the ground. A heavy weight kept Kirito pinned down and he felt something sharp pressed against his throat. He heard voices murmuring but he couldn't figure them out as he felt like he was slowly suffocating under the large mass pinning him. How someone had access to his neck while he was trapped below, he had no idea. He was soon relieved of the pressure on him when the figure got off.

He quickly stood up and found himself facing some very odd creatures. They wore very minimal clothing, only enough to cover private areas. They appeared to be some cross between humans and what Kirito could only guess as a walrus. Their lower half was a set of thick legs that slowly congealed around their midriff into the fat blubber likeness of skin colored grayish brown. Each sported a set of long white tusks that hung down from their mushy whiskered face blobs.

They had beady black eyes which stared at him with, glee? He wasn't certain. Instead of flippers they did possess short thick arms that just seemed to stretch out of where the shoulders would be. Three stood in front of him pointing weapons his way that consisted of a long stick with a tusk strapped on.

They were actually extremely funny looking with such short limbs attached to their large upper body. And Kirito couldn't help himself once realizing this he burst into a fit of laughter. One of the spear wielders stepped closer and poked at him with the weapon, it then spoke up. It sounded very strained to speak and its voice was wheezy.

"You, why have you come here? Why do you laugh?"

Calming himself Kirito managed a response.

"I apologize, the knock to my head caused me to remember an old event that was funny."

He lied to cover his laughter. Not that the npc would know any different. He could have told it the reason he was laughing was because he was the King of England for all the difference it would have made. And his answer left the npc clearly confused.

"I came here to on a quest to gain strength. I can help your village out with any problems you might have as well."

The creature now acknowledged that Kirito had said something it could understand. It spoke up again.

"Where do you come from?"

"Aincrad."

"We have legends of Aincrad, back when the fortress of Hynafol ruled these lands our people interacted with men such as yourself. But the cycles have come and gone many, many times since then. None here have ever met one such as yourself. We are the ‹‹Umarus›› warrior, and we try not to have conflict. When orcs and creatures fiercer come, we hide within our rock. But times are dark, evil creature's prowl the land and darker ones still live within the walls of Hynafol. If you clear the lands of these aggressors we will compensate you however possible. And within the great fortress you may find old treasures too."

"I accept, I will clear this wasteland. Now please, which way is it to this fortress?"

Kirito queried. He was very interested in this fortress the walrus man had mentioned.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

After his discussion with the Umarus, he was pointed in the direction of the tribe's nearest deadly foe. Another tribe, but this one was made of creatures called ‹‹Amarolf››. Kirito was given no description, only told.

"They are my people's ancestral rivals. For unknown millennia we have waged cold and active war with them. Be wary, they currently grow bold from the other fearsome creature's presence in our lands. They will give you no mercy, so give them none."

So he didn't have a lot to go on. Other than supposedly he should:

1) Light at least half the huts on fire.  
2) Kill 10 Amarolf warriors.  
3) Release the ‹‹Dire Wolves›› they held in pens there.  
And for a bonus  
4) Kill their chieftain.

A rather typical grind order he thought. He had no idea how strong these creatures would be. He had walked across the landscape for several hours, before spotting the rival tribe. Much to his surprise the village was almost identical to the Umarus village, giant rock and everything. Except for the large ditch dug around the small village with one raised dirt path across.

He could see no pens full of Dire Wolves. He was on the fence whether that was good or bad. Approaching the village he could see it was not empty like the Umarus's had been. He could make out plenty of figures moving around. As there was simply no way for him to hide is approach he walked straight up to the dirt causeway. He didn't have any clothes to blend into the snowy background and the land was so flat there was nowhere he could try to sneak through.

So the first villager to see him signaled an alarm by yelling something Kirito didn't catch. As he was about 200 yards out, 18 figures rushed across the causeway and fanned out as they came his way. About half of them rode atop massive wolves. Kirito assumed these to be the Dire Wolves. They looked somewhat like typical wolves only three times the size and much sturdier looking. Rather like parts of a bear mixed with a wolf.

All of the wolves were pure white with some slight gray markings mixed in. Kirito was surrounded by the mounted figures and the others on foot rushed to catch up to add more intimidation he assumed. He wasn't sure what he had expected from these Amarolf, but when he finally saw one he wasn't even that surprised.

Like their rival tribe, the Amarolf had the lower half of a human while their upper half was that of a wolf. Strange really, but they were much more streamlined and predatory looking then the tubby Umarus. The surrounding Amarolf had mixed fur of gray and white with some black tinges, they all wore black pants made out of some animal hide. Each wolf-man had bone pierces on their face in unique patterns.

Except for the one that was mounted front and center of the others. This one was at least a foot taller than the others which had to have him standing over seven feet. His upper furred half was pitch black. The black wolf-man's left ear was ripped half off. Seeing all the wolves and half wolves glaring at him or suspiciously staring awoke his basic survival instincts. He drew his sword and was instantly on guard. His sudden movement caused all in attendance to let out a low threatening growl.

The black Amarolf had only stared at Kirito, suddenly he stepped forward halting the rising hostilities. He took a huge sniff, then glared at Kirito before speaking.

"Human, why do you reek of those cowardly Umarus?"

The voice that came from the black Amarolf was deep and gruff, his words were spoken with a slight growl.

Kirito took note of one thing at that moment. All of these Amarolf were armed with wicked looking tooth and bone daggers, one in each hand for most cases. Some, mostly the mounted ones, had long bone shaft spears tipped with a vicious looking fang.

'Well they certainly got it right calling the Umarus cowardly, they all hid away while I wandered their village then sneak attacked me only to send me off to fight their battles.'

"I said human, why do you reek? Answer or we will be forced to take measures."

This was followed by another round of snarling growls.

"Ah.. Hello there. You must be the Amarolf? I smell as you say like those cowards, because I just came from their village."

'Why am I even talking with them? Aren't I suppose to be slaughtering them and destroying their village?'

The onlookers all burst into deep barking laughter at Kirito's answer. When the black wolf man silenced them with a hand motion.

"Well it seems they have sent another again to do their dirty work. They are sneaking conniving tricksters. They recruit many warriors like yourself and demand of them to come here and slaughter us. Well human, I say this. Join with us and help us keep these lands safe from the rising evils, or fight against us and die here now or later with the cowardly Umarus in their beds."

The wolves around the black one growled threateningly.

"The Umarus claim to be the defenders of these lands, when forever my people have held that title truly. The jealous Umarus try everything they can think of to destroy us as they believe we insult them by do the job the old gods entrusted to both our tribes. I hope you join with us as we do the workload of two tribes by ourselves and I do not wish for lives to be lost from my tribe in another Umarus ploy."

'Well shit...'

Thought Kirito.

'I am gonna join these guys just so that I maybe get awarded one of those Dire Wolves. I can just imagine riding that around Aincrad... I would look so cool...' Kirito continued falling further into his fantasy of inducing jealous awe into others, when the wolf men stepped threateningly closer.

"What will it be human, will you join us? The Amarolf, or stay with the Uncouth Umarus?"

"Do you have to ask? Half wolf men are way cooler than walrus men. I will fight with you, the Amarolf."

The Amarolf reared their heads back and let out a celebratory howl.

'I wonder if dire wolves come in black...'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 7th  
Aincrad Third Tier, Inn_

Asuna sat in a daze. After yesterday she realized how foolish the charge had been. She had literally wasted the lives of her friends in the effort to sway recruits to join. She fancied they were invincible while atop their mounts. They had worked so smoothly in the practicing formations she never realized that, that practice experience wouldn't translate perfectly into a real combat situation.

Their initial charge had worked well enough, but the group had immediately become bogged down among the orcs and the true hand to hand had begun. As it turned out fighting while on horseback was extremely difficult when you have no experience, especially when lots of the opponents were only half as tall as your horse was. The wargs were much lower to the ground then a horse.

Asuna had believed the first charge would have swept the warg riders away and the defenders of Aincrad would cheer the success of the Knights of Ruin till the next month's event where they would again preform another spectacular, glorious, and victorious charge. Too bad her second and third in command had been killed. Along with several others.

While defeating the warg riders, the KoR were forced to limp away from the battlefield to lick their wounds and over all reconcile their wasteful charge. Nothing spectacular or glorious even if they were victorious.

It was a harsh truth for Asuna that she had caused the deaths of each KoR member who died by ordering that attack. She hadn't been able to sleep at all last night and she was laying curled in a ball on her inn bed. Images of each player lost kept flashing through her mind. Times spent together. All the good cheer and laughter of learning to ride horses together and time spent organizing and recruiting.

When she had led their first practice charge she had never been more proud as she had been when she looked left and right at her new friends as they actually accomplished something against this death game. Now it seemed so hollow. She knew somewhere in her head that she needed to get up and go gather everyone who was still alive, she now knew they had to practice in real combat.

She also realized she needed to think about the consequences her decisions could have in this game. Assuming no one quit, 17 other players still put their trust into her to lead them as the only mounted group in the game.

Yeah she realized all that somewhere in the back of her mind.

'But just not right now... It is still all too much... Garzan... Kinichi... xX3li7eXx ... Enju... Rentaro ... I am so… very sorry.'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Hey Kirito,_

_It is Klein, the guys and I have been talking and now that guilds can form, well we would like to officially extend you an invite to ‹‹Fuurinkazan››. So what do you say? I am not one to boast or anything but we are probably one of the strongest guilds there is. Your style would work well with us, you and I could cover a flank each, like we did a bit during the event. Plus I mean our guild is a total babe magnet, so... Ya you should join up with us._

_P.S. Red is better than black._

_-Klein_

* * *

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you want to, feel free to leave a review or write me a pm for any questions and comments. I appreciate it.


	11. Third Event Arc: Ch 11

Yo, time for chapter 11. There will be an AN to answer some things at the end of the chapter.

* * *

_January 22__nd__  
Hynafol Expanse_

Kirito decided he definitely like the Amarolf better. A huge difference from the fat, stinking Umarus. They didn't sound whiny when they talked, they didn't dilly dally with worthless words, and they didn't look like walking tubs of lard.

No, the Amarolf were badass wolf/human hybrids. They were cool. And as such Kirito easily sided with them over the Umarus. The chance of somehow obtaining a dire wolf as a new mount didn't play into his decisions at all. A giant wolf that was probably faster and stronger then Midnight? Ehh, what could he care right?

So here he was. Dozens of Amarolf around him. As he crept forward in the twilight. The Umarus were apparently also lazy. And had nearly no sentries. So in the failing light, Kirito had been assured their sneak attack would go undetected.

Kirito had told the Amarolf of the Umarus's plan to have him attack and kill them all. So the Amarolf simply turned the planned around and asked Kirito slay the Umarus. Only they were sending a large amount of their young warriors to help see the deed done.

They hadn't immediately trusted him however. And instead he had been running quests for the village for nearly a week. He was getting decent xp and gear drops so he wasn't complaining. He wasn't getting any col, as the Amarolf didn't use coin.

But now they trusted him and it was time to spring the attack against the Umarus.

'Ya know… this is basically genocide… But they are just npcs. So it shouldn't matter.'

A loud howl rang out from the opposite side of the village. The second force was sounding the attack. All around him Kirito heard the blood chilling howls as Amarolf charged forward. None were mounted as only their elite warriors rode dire wolves. So running alongside them Kirito entered the unprotected village.

Many of the Umarus were out lounging by fires in the last rays of the sun. They were eating and smoking pipes. Very strange in Kirito's opinion. And the Amarolf fell upon them with fury. They had always held a weak truce with the Umarus. Never openly fighting. But harsh times were just ahead. And the Amarolf had no time to deal with more Umarus treachery.

Their solution? Complete extermination. Kirito found a large Umarus blocking his way and his sword glowed red in the dying light as he started executed combo attacks on the Umarus. Those not immediately slain started begging for mercy. But Kirito didn't hesitate and struck them down just as the Amarolf around him did.

'Yes.'

He thought.

'They are just npcs. They aren't real.'

But as he laid open a young Umarus from head to toe. He couldn't help but wonder if that was true, as he saw its parents begin sobbing and attempt to kill him in vengeance.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 9__th__  
Aincrad Plain_

It was two days after the second event that Asuna realized that the rest of the KoR might be having a hard time too. It took her another two days to contact and organize a meeting between them all. So here she now stood before 13 of the 17 still alive. The other four members had told her they quit and left it at that.

"Hello everyone. Thank you for coming today. I-I-I…"

She trailed off staring at the ground. She could feel tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

One of the members stepped forward and stood before Asuna. Suddenly their hand struck out and a hard slap cracked across Asuna's cheek. No one said a word or made a movement.

The wind whistled as it gently blew across the western Aincrad plain where the group was situated.

"Asuna. Stop crying."

The words were simple but Asuna thought they sounded beyond complex.

'Stop crying… Just stop crying?'

"I-I can't"

She choked out as a sob escaped her.

"Th-they are dead because of m-me. It's my fault they died!"

_WHAP!_

Another slap across the cheek. This one stung more.

"You didn't kill anyone. Everyone agreed to that charge. No one said it was a bad idea. Everyone volunteered."

The girl reached her hand out and lifted Asuna's face up.

"Look at all of us. We are still here. We trusted you once. And we are here to try it one more time. Prove to us you have what it takes. I remember the bright determined girl who first invited me to join the KoR. Get over your mistake and become the leader I know you can be."

Asuna stared shocked as everyone smiled at her and nodded in encouragement. She even got a couple thumbs up. She couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto her face. She wiped her face with her sleeve and straightened her shoulders.

"Everyone today is the day the Knights of Ruin officially form. I heard about the new guild npc. I will go and form the guild and from now on I won't ever let you guys down. I will work to earn the trust you feel I already deserve!"

Everyone clapped but then another person in the crowd coughed and said.

"Uhh I don't know about you guys. But can we change the name… It kinda- well it kinds sucks."

Nearly everyone started laughing and they all started agreeing.

"But I thought it was a good name…"

Asuna's depression was easily ignored over her name not being very good. And everyone began shooting out new ideas for their guild name.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 23__rd__  
Hynafol Expanse_

The sun peaked over the horizon and the long reaching rays twinkled off the snow. It might be pretty in a picture but right now Kirito was annoyed by how blinding it was. Blinking he looked ahead to the towering structure planted in the middle of the flat landscape. The ancient fortress Hynafol. The large stone gray castle consisted of an outer curtain wall ringing a wide courtyard which then led to the stout keep in the center.

Several hundred cracks and craters littered the wall. Signs of a destructive battle that raged here once. The windows were long since shattered and the scorch marks at the gate hinted at a fiery defense. The landscape had long since been smoothed over by the passage of time. But the debris remained.

Kirito rode Midnight up to the gate and left his horse outside to wait for him.

Venturing inside the curtain wall, Kirito found himself in a deserted courtyard. The withering wild remains of a garden flanked both edges and a path led toward the keep on the far side. Cautiously Kirito drew his sword and advanced onward.

He had no quests for exploring Hynafol. Something he found off putting as he almost felt like he was wasting some of his xp grinding time. But the mystery of the fortress called to him and couldn't be ignored.

Besides he wanted to be done with this place and head on his way back to Aincrad. He doubted he would ever come this direction again. He had recently gained a dislike of this arctic expanse.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 14__th__  
Aincrad Third Tier, Inn_

Aincrad was a mess. People were running about and doing all kinds of things. With the advent of new crafting professions. Many people who had spent their days doing nothing were suddenly given something to do. Potioneering was the largest by far. Several guilds had been created with the express objective of gathering low tier potion mats. Hunting grounds were heavily contested. But no player killings had occurred.

Everyone wanted health potions. The little red drinks encased in glass were worth more than col in some cases. People were actively hoarding and trading hp pots. And Argo found herself selling potion mat locations like ice cream on a hot day. She was racking up col, but she knew Derrik would likewise be selling off the locations to anyone willing to pay.

Some construction engineers or as everyone had started calling them Cogneers, were trying to assemble some structure outside Aincrad on the eastern plain.

Which is why Argo currently found herself pretending to be a drunk girl shamelessly flirting with the head of the project. She knew the man frequented a bar in the eastern 3rd tier and was trying to find out exactly what he was building out there. Rumors were abound but selling rumors was worth a lot less then selling real info. She knew Derrik was trying hard to find the blueprints for the building but she figured the man before her would have them in his inventory.

'The things I do to beat Derrik… Heh, if Mother could see me now she would freak. Haha.'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 19__th__  
Aincrad Third Tier, Inn_

Thinker stared out the window of the building he currently rented. The past two weeks had been very eventful in his opinion. The creation of his guild ‹‹Aincrad Liberation Force›› had gone much better than he expected. Many players had been eager to get out and do something after the second event. With more options available for them. Thinker had seen people with naught even a dagger running out northward to go hammer on the old stone road. People were out and about all over Aincrad doing who knows what.

Thinker had participated in the second event. But stayed mostly out of the front lines as his lower level kept him back. But he had met and spoken with dozens of other players during the event. And prior while the players hung about in the first tier. He had walked away that night with his friends list far more filled then previously. Then the next day guilds were a thing.

Since the first day everyone had been looking for guilds. And there had been nothing on them. Not even any of the info brokers had any hard info to sell about guilds. Then suddenly they appeared and were open to creation with several restrictions on who could create one. The change of just officially having guilds to the city was quick and very apparent.

Players were much more organized in their goings on. Even though Aincrad appeared a mess of random activity most of it was being done in groups. Groups of guild members.

Thinker knew a chance when he saw one. He had always meant to create a guild to foster and show the ropes to new players. There was something he enjoyed about it. So when the news reached him, he had quickly gone to the first tier and created his guild. Then he sent out invitations to all the players he met the previous day and asked them to ask around with their own friends. While not a guild being run by Diavel the man who orchestrated the event battles.

ALF was looking to unite the players together to help everyone out. Aincrad was a huge place. It was very realistic in many ways and with the death game, many people found themselves wandering lost and directionless.

His guild had quickly grown. Much to his surprise he had gotten lots of applicants from players who did not want to fight on the front lines. Even though he had requested mostly people from the events. They had gone on to join a combat guild, well the combat guild. There was only really one combat guild, the ‹‹Knights of Unity›› being led by Diavel. The number gap between KoU and smaller combat guilds was immense. Like 500 to five.

So Thinker's guild was an opportunity to find a place for them, and give them something to do each day. And people flocked to this ideal. Thinker quickly found himself overwhelmed by the 500 people now looking to him for guidance. With the guild structure tab he was able to create several dozen vice leaders. And he gave them orders to start sorting the players out by what they wanted to do.

Once sorted the ALF had begun massing on the eastern plain. Fighting mobs on the fringe of the plain and beginning quests from the local hub. The non-combat players were tasked with various things. Mostly crafting. But some were in charge of organizing ALF's supplies and making sure everyone was equipped. Each day a vice leader took a party north to watch over the road builders. Keeping wolves and goblins away was a full time job.

Over the past two weeks Thinker had come to the realization that there was no form of law within Aincrad. The system stopped players from directly harming one another within Aincrad's walls. However a player with a high enough ‹‹Pick Pocket›› skill could filch anything off an un-aware player. You could touch another player but if you used any kind of force you were teleported to the resurrection room in the central keep and couldn't get out for an hour. The npc guards around Aincrad did nothing unless a player tried ‹‹Pick Pocket›› on them. The guards would start shouting about a thief. Then your cursor turned orange, indicating a player who was wanted by the guards of Aincrad.

So Thinker had been thinking it over and it seemed like Aincrad needed some kind of law enforcement.

'Diavel isn't even in the city, and he is much more focused on beating the events. But while he and his men are off training. Someone needs to maintain order. I have the numbers… This is something I must think over.'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 23__rd__  
Hynafol Fortress Interior_

The inside of the fortress was exactly what Kirito expected it would be. Burnt out hallways. Caved in doors. Smashed windows and broken stones. Littering that halls was debris from a long forgotten battle. And everywhere Kirito looked he could find nothing of interest. Guard rooms? Empty. Living quarters? Barren. Kitchens? Scavenged clean.

So here he was ready to check one of the last two places he hadn't looked. He had decided to save the best for last. The throne room lay before him. A large airy hall that led to a raised dais with the seat carved into the surrounding rock. If he couldn't find anything here he would go check the dungeons.

Kirito stepped into the room and immediately noticed another presence. A figure sat in the throne like it had been waiting. Cautiously Kirito approached. The figure had been invisible until he stepped inside. The figure called out to him with a booming voice.

"Who would dare to disturb my rest? YOU THERE! How dare you enter my domain? Do you come seeking my secret? Another glory hound, a fame seeker, a popularity prince. Leave now before I slay you like the countless other fools who wished for my secret."

The figure stood and was easily eight feet tall. Heavily muscled and bare chested Kirito was slightly intimidated by the numerous scars. At each of the figures sides was a large stone blade strapped to the belt around the figure's waist. Thick scarred arms snatched the blades from where they hung and held them aloft in a fighting position.

"Well then seeker, come and find what it is you seek."

The figure lunged forward with a burst of speed and Kirito barely managed to throw himself to the side. A large stone blade slashed into the floor and left a deep gouge

"Hah at least you have some merit. Most do not survive my first strike. But it matter's little, all fall sooner or later."

"Your taunting is getting boring. It is too repetitive old man."

The banter accomplished little, but Kirito did manage to draw his weapon during the brief moment. At that moment Kirito noticed something strange about his opponent. The figure was-

"You're made of stone!"

He couldn't help but voice his findings. What did this mean?

"Indeed, I am ‹‹Yamato›› Stone Guardian of Hynafol. A golem created centuries ago to defend this keep and its secrets. Never have I been defeated. Never has a secret leaked out. Now die seeker, die like the rest and leave me to my peace."

While the newly titled golem spoke, Kirito noticed numerous cracks spread all over the guardian's body. Old wounds from his countless fights. Not scars as he had previously thought.

'I can use that to my advantage. One strong blow and he might crumble to bits.'

The golem struck out in a horizontal x-strike to separate Kirito's head and body. He ducked and lunged forward. He jabbed the tip of his glowing sword into one of the fissures and was rewarded with a sharp cracking noise as it widened. He had to wrench his sword out and barely brought it up to guard an incoming strike aimed for the top of his head.

He wasn't able to guard the second sword that came down and struck him on the right hip.

"Awww fuck! That hurt."

They both exclaimed as they leaped away to examine their own wounds.

"You can feel pain?"

Again they both spoke at the same time. They both appeared surprised.

"Enough of this mockery. Come human and die. You will never defeat me."

Kirito was really confused by this golem. But he advanced all the same. His adrenaline was really going now and he felt his fledgling battle instincts take hold and guide him in the oncoming fight. A grin crept across his face as Kirito began a series of dodging movements occasionally striking into a fissure on the golem's body.

He managed to avoid taking another hit. And slowly he could see results of his attacks adding up. Chips of the stone golem were flaking to the floor. Each time the golem grunted in pain but otherwise continued fighting.

"Just die you stone bastard!"

"Never, not while I can still move. I will fight to defend the secret within this keep."

"Oh boy, you keep mentioning this secret. I can't wait to learn it. I didn't even know what I would find in this place. But you are making it really interesting for me stony. But now… I WILL FINISH IT!"

With his exclamation Kirito initiated a ‹‹Sonic Leap›› his sword lit up with green energy and he drove the point home into the largest crack in his chest. A huge gust of air threw Kirito backward. When he looked up he saw the scattered remains of his stone opponent. And beyond the throne he saw a door open.

"Whew, that stone bastard Yamato sure could fight. If he had been any faster I would have been in serious trouble. Hehe time to see what kind of cool loot this guy was protecting all this time."

Kirito stood up and flourished his sword diagonally before sheathing it. Then he made to enter the new room. He didn't notice a figure hidden in the shadows by the door he came through.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 20__th__  
Aincrad Second Tier, Merchant District_

Liz was happy. Truly she felt content with her current life. Something she thought was odd. Back before the death game she had been bored a lot. School was tiresome and her friends were great but she found them to be easy to predict as they seemed to always want to do the same things over and over. When she heard about SAO it had drawn her in like a moth to flame.

Now each day was interesting. She woke up and attended her shop. When no one was in, she spent her time grinding her skill level up or scanning the merchant market to buy rare mats for cheaper than usual.

The blacksmith guild had given her some direction in her craft. Where before she had reached ‹‹Journeyman›› rank and was left unsure what to do. Now with the guild she knew how to advance to ‹‹Expert››. It required a vast knowledge of recipes and experience in forging many different items.

So she was waiting for recipes to filter in from different places. A journeyman was supposed to go on a journey to collect new recipes and learn more about their craft. But no way in hell was she going to wander around outside Aincrad. Combat was not her thing. She had tried fighting some of the boars outside, but that had been pretty boring.

'Pun intended.'

She thought. Maybe combat in one of the outer questing areas was better. But her only experience with fighting had been the obnoxiously easy boars and the frighteningly powerful mobs of the first and second event. She had seen some players dueling outside the city. But she didn't intend to fight any other players. The chance of accidental death or killing really put her off.

But beyond slowly trying to cultivate a wide range of recipes. Liz was working on her standing within the Blacksmiths guild. The rank of Journeyman was her actual smith rank and skill level. But within the guild players were assigned an additional and separate rank. She was now ranked as a ‹‹Novice›› which was the second rank, just about ‹‹Initiate››.

She had been asked to craft a level 20 set of armor. After the guild master appraised her work, he complemented her and upgraded her guild rank. He then gifted to her several new recipes. He told her they were all different hammers that she could successively work her way through the get better blacksmithing gear. The better the hammer, the better the gear she produced, and the better her upgrade chance was.

Yes life was good for Liz as she walked through the street of Aincrad. She had gone out to pick up some food. Her supply was running low. On her way out of the agriculture district she heard raised voices.

"What do you mean the crops aren't coming? They should be here by now. No I can't let it go. I expected them yesterday. I need them to sell. I am going to lose my house if the shipment doesn't arrive soon. No they have to be coming. Wait... No! No, no, it can't be. They destroyed what!?"

Liz turned the corner and saw two merchants arguing. One was very adamantly yelling about something. She wasn't certain but he seemed to have lost an important shipment.

'Oh well. Not my problem.'

She thought before turning back around the corner and heading home.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 25__th__  
Zastria, Arena _

Breathing hard, he glanced at his hp bar. Sweat made his shirt stick to his back.

'60%. Shit I can't get hit again.'

A woosh alerted him to the movement of his opponent. A huge two handed sword, a claymore he believed, slashed into the ground where he had been standing. His opponent was momentarily jarred from missing.

A golden light surrounded the katana he held and moving forward he slashed his opponent twice, leave a glowing x-shape. Then he stabbed forward right into the middle of the x. This struck his opponent with a huge ton of damage. Hitting dead center in the x was a guaranteed critical strike.

A grimy red bandana hung down blocking his vision, but he didn't move it. He withdrew his katana from his opponent and listened. His opponent let out a scream at the pain he just endured and fell to his knees. Thankfully he didn't hear the sound of shattering and pixels in the wind.

A screen popped up in front of the man, and he read.

_Congratulations, you are victorious. The agreed upon winnings are now within your inventory._

Overhead the two fighters, hung a huge window. It read.

_Duel winner: Klein! Loser: Kuradeel. Time: 1 minute 27 seconds._

The watching crowd cheered. And Klein allowed himself to straighten to his full height, before he sheathed his katana at his waist.

'Another win. I hope I can keep this up.'

* * *

Holy hell. That's a new chapter.

As always, feel free to leave a review, or write me a pm. I take all questions and comments. Flames? Why the hell not. I try my best to respond to everyone. Although I tend not to respond to flames and instead just admire them from afar. I am not a fire fighter

If you are interested I have much more in depth answers for some of your questions answered on a forum I have been using to post story updates/tracking. You can find a link for it on my profile or find it on this sites forums section. Go to anime Sword Art Online SAO Fandom Nexus [story] Onslaught. You can find news on how this story is progressing and when the next chapter should be there. I also tried to keep my notes together about how I edited the story and the new changes made.

Like why I haven't updated in the last 6 months? Go check there.


	12. Third Event Arc: Ch 12

Yo,

Just for the record ~ this is supposed to kind of show when a character talks in like a childlike kind of sing song/crazy mocking kind of tone of voice. You can guess which one by how the speech is described. Hopefully.

* * *

_January 23rd  
Hynafol Fortress Interior_

Kirito stepped into the dark room behind the throne. It was roughly a square. On the far wall was another door. But etched on the two side walls was large shining golden script. Kirito looked left and read.

_You of flesh and bone. Have beaten one of time and stone._

Then on the right wall it read.

_Your arm is strong, your will is steel._

Then after reading this, Kirito looked ahead at the far wall again. More writing had appeared above the doorway.

_The quest is long, so never kneel._

'I wonder what that is all about.'

He thought to himself as he made his way towards the doorway. As Kirito crossed the threshold a figure wreathed in black tip-toed into the room behind him. It made no noise and Kirito was none the wiser of its presence as he found himself descending down a staircase somewhere into the bowls of the fortress.

'I wonder if this is like a hidden treasure room or something. This passage can't be connected to the dungeons, so it must be something separate. It must hold whatever secrets that golem was blabbing about.'

A torch sprang to life and illuminated the stairwell just before he was about to activate ‹‹Night Vision›› to see in the darkness. Then several other torches lit down the stairwell and Kirito could see it descended pretty far. So he continued on, eager to find the end.

After several quite minutes of walking with only the flickering torches as companions, Kirito reached the bottom. He entered into a large square room. Against the wall on the far side stood a giant marble statue. It was weathered from age but Kirito could make out a man clad in armor wielding two blades in a heroic pose.

The face was beyond recognition and Kirito doubted he would have known the man depicted anyway.

'Two swords huh?'

He approached the statue and found a tablet set into its base.

_A sword and shield is never wrong.  
A sword and a fist is trouble.  
Two swords are strong.  
Yes, I wield them double. _

'Well… I want to wield them double too.'

"So what do I need to do?"

Speaking to himself Kirito started prodding the tablet. A quest icon appeared before him and he activated it. Text description flowed before him and he eagerly read through the tedious writing.

'I see. So I need to go back to Aincrad first. Well I was almost at the day count to return anyway.'

_Tap_

A foot stepped into the room from the stairs. The noise on the hard stone floor echoed in the mostly empty room. And a figure followed the foot. Kirito whirled to face the arrival but not before he accepted the quest.

"He he he.. HAAAA! I found~ you~~!"

A crazed voice came from the cloaked figure. Kirito was unsure whether the voice was addressing him or the quest tablet behind him. But he drew his sword either way.

"You think you can just wander where you want to? Naughty little boy~"

"Tch."

Kirito scoffed.

'Little boy? Fuck this guy. But I guess he is after me.'

"You have found something very important~ He he he… HAAAAA! We can't have that now can we~ no… no we can't at all…"

"Hey crazy guy. Are you an npc or human?"

"Oh?~ You want to know what I am?"

The figure drew a sword from inside its cloak. The rasp of steel insisted Kirito to raise his sword into a guarding position.

"Fight with me and see if you can tell."

Quickly the figure sprinted forward and attempted to stab Kirito in the heart. He parried he blade over his shoulder and spun counter-clockwise to the right.

His sword glowed green as he prepared to use an empowered strike across the exposed figure's side. But the figure kept their momentum and continued past Kirito and out of his blade's range.

The figure whirled around and their hood came off. Revealed beneath it was a pale man's face. Wide blood shot eye's flicked around and then focused on Kirito. The sickly green color disconcerted Kirito slightly.

"Y-you are a player!"

Kirito shouted in surprise. But his exclamation was met only by more crazy laughter.

"No, no, no. I am one of the chosen. I fight with his will backing me and his arm guiding me. Together we can create so much more. He, he has shown me the way. And you stand in the way. So prepare yourself glory seeker, I am here to end your life."

Kirito stood and absorbed everything the man said.

'All his rambling aside, I still don't know if he is actually a real person. I can check his nameplate. That should solve it.'

So he glanced over the man's head and a red cursor hung indicated his opponent was hostile towards him.

'Uhh shit. If it was green or orange it would have been a player. If it had been black or purple it would have been a mob. But since he is in combat with me I can't tell as everyone's cursor turns red. What a terrible design.'

The man whipped his sword above his head and charged again.

"This is no time for thinking."

Kirito muttered under his breath. He rushed struck forward and a loud clang echoed as the two blade met in-between their wielders. Reacting Kirito's blade glowed a bright red and he initiated a five strike combo.

Backing away the man parried the first two blows and then managed to step out of Kirito's range. As the final blow came down with a clang on the floor, the man stepped back into range and slashed quickly across Kirito's exposed arm.

A red line sizzled on his arm as he hissed with the pain he received. His rushing adrenaline combatted the sensation and allowed him to further ignore it and focus on the battle. But his right arm was slowly leaking virtual blood. A damage over time effect whittling away his hp.

"You are gonna regret that ya bastard!"

Kirito struck out with his left fist and caught the man in the gut. Momentarily winded his opponent wasn't able to block a quick stab into this left shoulder. The man shoved Kirito off him and the two stepped back to assess their opponent.

"He he he… HAAAAA! You are interesting but ultimately I must carry out his orders."

"Come and try, I will not lose to the likes of you!"

Both combatants rushed forward and began trading a flurry of blows. A harsh melody of crashing steel hung in the air. Neither was going to back down this time.

Wounds began piling up on both sides and their respective hp gauges dropped below 20%. Two charged blows met in a shower of sparks and they both stood blade against blade trying to subdue the other with pure strength. Nearly face to face Kirito grit his teeth and matched his opponents glare.

Suddenly the castle walls around them rumbled. Huge echoing crashes came down the stairwell.

"Tch. I wasted too much time. But you will never escape this fortress alive."

The man shoved and drew back his sword. Disengaging he rushed toward the tablet. Kirito was caught off guard by his opponent's change of tactics and the clamor above. He saw a flash of gold as the man activated and accepted the same quest he had.

The man spun to face him and in his left hand materialized a fist sized crystal. A vicious grin ripped his face apart and he said.

"Have fun in your new tomb pretender."

The crystal shone brightly and the man disappeared.

His laughter echoed in the chamber even after his departure. But Kirito realized something.

'Shit the fortress must be collapsing. That guy thinks he can get that quest reward himself. Well I will escape and I will beat him...'

"…OH fuck!"

Kirito yelled as a particularly loud boom echoed down the stairs.

"I better haul ass."

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 25th  
Aincrad Second Tier_

Argo was not sure what she should do. She had no real info to sell. The outer area's where people left to level up were far away from Aincrad. She had no way to be on-hand to sell info. Sure if they knew of her they could contact her. But she had nothing to sell to them. She knew nothing of the new areas they were exploring. And she couldn't be everywhere at once.

Her job was becoming obsolete before her eyes. One of her subcontracted info dealers had just quit and said he was going to start levelling. But she needed to stay in this game and beat Derrik. Nothing else would be acceptable. He knew her secret after all.

She was still searching for something she could use against him, but right now his past was air tight. And any dirty deals he might make she would have a hard time pinning on him. While the blackmailed gold had stopped him from leaking anything. It was only a matter of time before he wanted more.

A knock on her door jarred her thoughts and she quickly put her hood over her head and tried to blend in with the shadows.

"Enter."

'A new client by the looks of it. This is exactly what I need. Something to get my mind off other matters.'

"Ahh. Hello there, please come in and take a seat."

She motioned to the wooden seat on the other end of her table. Her client sat down and got straight to business.

"What do you know about the attacks on the southern farmers?"

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_January 27th  
Graig Outskirts_

The sun was setting over the towering peaks of the Rhewi mountains. The last rays still managed to sparkle in Kirito's vision slightly blinding him. He had several more hills the traverse and then he would be able to see Graig.

He had been travelling for several days now. He had escaped Hynafol Fortress in the nick of time. With nothing gained besides a vague quest, he felt the fortress had been rather lack luster.

'Not even any loot… I bet it was all in the dungeons, which I never had time to explore.'

The quest lines from the Amarolf were done so he decided to journey further north along the highway. It seemingly had no end as it just continued further north, even after half a day's riding. So he had turned around and determined it was time to make for Aincrad.

What a boring journey. He hadn't encountered anything. Just the landscape for company. But here he was about to return to civilization.

"Ahh I can't wait for some proper food."

He yawned, and stretched in the saddle.

'Those damn Amarolf know nothing of fine dining. And I only have rations from them… Oh some Graig soup is gonna taste soooo good.'

"Retreat! We gotta run for it guys."

A yell caught his attention from beyond the next hill. Several loud clangs rang through the air as he listened to the sounds of fighting. He spurred Midnight forward to see the combat.

"AHHH ‹‹Tetsuo››! Are you ok?"

He saw a small group nearly surrounded by orcs. One player kneeled at the front of the group. His shield was battered and his armor looked damaged. Several arrows were lodged in his right leg. But the orcs couldn't get to the players behind him.

'He seems like a pretty good tank.'

Kirito noted.

'But I think they could use some help.'

Spurring Midnight forward he rushed down the hill. One of the players shouted in alarm.

"OH NO! A mounted one!"

He was smacked in the back of the head by a third player next to him.

"That is a player you idiot."

The girl among the group said in a panicky voice.

"Now is not the time guys!"

Kirito heard all this and couldn't help but wonder if they were serious. But never the less he crossed the distance and quickly fell upon the orcs.

With momentum on his side he slashed right then left and beheaded two orcs. One spun to meet his assault and managed to parry a killing blow. Kirito rode past and delivered a fourth strike, downing a third orc.

A spear wielding orc stepped in front of Midnight and jabbed hard into the approaching horse. The blow stopped Midnight in his tracks and as the horse began disintegrating Kirito found himself launched from the saddle.

He sailed over the spear orc and came down on top of small black orc wielding an axe. In a heap on the ground he managed to disentangle himself and roll sideways. The spear orc jabbed right where Kirito had been seconds before.

By now over half the remaining orcs were circling around him. But he clambered to his feet and parried an arcing blow headed his way. Three arrows zipped his way and two of them slammed home into his exposed back. The third ricocheted off his armor.

"FUCK ME THAT HURTS!"

He hollered. But as he yelled he managed to strike down another orc. Three more came to fight him face to face and Kirito grinned as his sword glowed black. He initiated the one handed sword skill ‹‹Absolute Flurry››. A seven hit combo, he danced between the three orcs and each blow met its mark slaughtering the orcs.

More aware of the archers this time he managed to duck as they fired another volley. But one still caught his left forearm.

'Fucking archers. They are dead.'

He righted himself and stormed their directions. Two orcs rushed his way to stop him but without stopping he slipped past their strikes and cut them down. His eyes never leaving the archers.

A third volley was launched but Kirito leaped to the right out of the way. The three arrows went passed him and killed another orc.

"Wow!"

Kirito heard someone exclaim.

"Guys did you see that? He totally dodged those arrows and killed that orc with them."

Kirito sweat dropped.

'What orc?'

As he stomped closer to the archers he watched as several of the players from earlier jumped and cut the mobs down.

'The hell! I wanted to kill them myself. Do they not understand revenge?'

Before he could ponder further, the players grouped up in front of him. Their tank was now arrow free and stood without support. Kirito quickly reached back and tried to free himself of the projectiles. But they were lodged below his shoulder blade and the pain was making it really hard to rid himself of them.

"Uhmm… Excuse me. But I could help you with that."

A meek female voice stopped his antics, and Kirito looked up to see a girl. He registered her question and replied.

"Yeah… Sure, thanks."

He turned his back to give her access and she quickly removed the arrows. While painful he managed to keep from crying out and instead only grunted. As the last one was removed he turned to find her holding out a small red flask.

"Here drink this potion, it will restore your health."

Well he didn't really need a potion at the moment his health was hanging around 90%, but he figured he would humor this girl.

"Oh yeah sure, thanks for this."

He forced his face to smile and took the flask to take several quick gulps. The other players came up to speak with him. Kirito noticed they were all around his age. A tall boy with brown hair stepped forward as the girl stepped back into the group.

"Hey there. My name is ‹‹Keita›› and I would like to thank you for helping us out. I am sorry about your horse though."

"Oh uhh yeah. Well don't worry, it wasn't a problem for me. Midnight will be back tomorrow anyway."

He accepted the boy's hand and gave a quick shake. Keita had an aura of confidence around him.

"I am the leader of these guys, we are the ‹‹Moonlit Black Cats››. And as a thank you for this, would you like to get a drink with us back in Graig?"

Evening had set in and Kirito was already headed to Graig, so he decided to accept their company for the evening. They were the first people he had seen this far north, he might as well see what they thought of the place.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_February 1st  
Zastria, Arena_

It was early morning. The sun was twinkling on the horizon and Klein stood squared off against his opponent. Frost crunched underfoot as a ring of spectators drew close to watch. Someone entered the ring in-between the duelers and spoke.

"Alright this is the first round, fight number seven. Both fighters are you ready?"

Two nods answered.

"Alright the red side will send the duel request and the green side will accept. No moving until the ten second timer ends and the fight begins. You may change equipment during this time. This will be a half-loss fight, please try not to kill your opponent. Otherwise there are no rules. Prepare."

Klein manipulated his menu and sent the duel request. She quickly accepted and a timer appeared overhead and in his vision. As it counted down he took the moment to inspect who he was about to fight.

She was a woman obviously. In her right hand she held a silvery straight sword, with a medium sized oak shield strapped on her left arm. An open faced helmet framed her face and held her hair back.

Two dull brown eyes stared at him. She appeared so un-interested in their fight. As the two starred each other down, the timer reached zero and overhead a large transparent banner proclaimed the start of the duel. Neither side moved. Then the woman cracked a crooked smile and winked at him.

'She is not attractive.'

He couldn't help but notice. Again. Slowly they started circling one another clockwise.

"Hey there big boy… How about you surrender and let me go on. I could… Make it worth your while."

"Ughh don't pout… Your face looks like a smashed up pumpkin you overgrown gorilla."

She looked offended but he felt more offended by having to look at her.

"YOU! How dare you!"

Her face purpled in rage. And she violently slashed the air.

"I will have you know."

She sniffed haughtily.

"That I have a boyfriend."

He chuckled.

"Is that why you want to win the tournament? Did he raise his price to entertain you?"

The crowd roared with laughter alongside the retort. If possible she looked angrier. She pointed her sword at him and declared.

"I will kill you for that!"

"Bring it on bitch."

With the banter done, the two stopped circling one another and ‹‹Bertha›› his opponent raised her sword and stepped forward. The crowd quieted and stood in anticipation to see the outcome.

A clang of metal resounded through the chill morning air as Klein parried her first strike. He side stepped her second swing and struck out. Her shield intercepted and only the dull thunk of metal meeting wood sounded.

She shoved his sword wide and stepped forward into his guard. Her sword came up and she tried to run it between his ribs. But his sword came across his body and swatted it off course.

He slashed back and his sword bit deep into her stomach. Her hp took a large hit and the two separated.

"Ahhh FUCK YOU! That hurts! I am going to kill you for that!" She exclaimed in rage as the pain registered.

"Ha you talk about killing me. If that was the real world your guts would be spilled on the ground right now."

She sneered at him.

"You got lucky punk. I will defeat you."

She dashed forward. Her sword alit with a golden gleam as she prepared a sword skill. She took a mighty swing and brought her sword down to cut Klein in two. But he side stepped the over telegraphed blow and smirked.

"Dumb move bitch."

And he struck out and etched a sizzling red line across her chest. Bertha fell to her knees and moaned as the dampened pain registered. Her hp dipped down below the half mark and the banner overhead declared Klein the victor.

Around him the crowd cheered the fight. A man broke free from the ring and dashed to Bertha's side. He tried to comfort her but was pushed aside as she stood up and then stomped out of the circle. The man followed behind her like a whipped dog.

'That is a pretty desperate dude.'

A large part of the crowd thought. Then the announcer from before stepped forward again and congratulated Klein for his win and told him to go to the central tent to await his next match.

'I will win this tournament.'

He thought as he marched across the ground toward his destination.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_February 3rd  
Aincrad Third Tier, North gate_

After an evening spent in their company Kirito had again found himself among the five members of the Moonlit Black Cats, or the MBC for short.

‹‹Keita›› was the leader and fought using a long two-handed glaive as a dps'er. He was tall and somewhat lanky with brown hair and brown eyes to match the brown clothing he wore. He had metal armor covering most of his upper body and when they were fighting he had worn a metal helmet that capped his head and covered his ears. His boisterous confidence seemed to inspire the others so Kirito didn't question it.

‹‹Ducker›› was the shortest among the group with shoulder length blonde hair and mischievous blue eyes. He had his helmet swapped for a cosmetic gray beanie. And he seemed to favor yellow clothing. It didn't make too much sense as he fancied himself as a thief/treasure hunter. But his dagger helped reinforce the image, if only slightly. Ducker focused on flanking and de-buffing during combat but helped deal damage when he got close enough.

‹‹Sasamaru›› was a very relaxed guy. He had long brown hair and green eyes to match the green clothing he favored. He fought with a long black pole-ax and he seemed to favor heavier armor to match the great helm he donned during combat. Sasamaru was the groups off tank for when their main tank got overwhelmed. Otherwise he mainly contributed damage.

‹‹Sachi›› was the only girl, and the one who had helped him earlier. Kirito could tell she was very shy from the few words they had spoken. She fought by throwing picks and javelins with a round shield off-hand. Kirito noted the dagger sheathed to her leg as a last resort. She wore light blue clothing and a shirt of chainmail. While her arms and legs sported leather guards. Kirito privately thought she looked cute with her shoulder length black hair, soft black eyes and small smile.

And finally there was the group's main tank. The guy who had been on his knees, probably about to die before Kirito had shown up. ‹‹Tetsuo›› was his name and he was heavily armored to match his role. He wielding a one-handed mace and a small kite shield. He favored purple clothing. Otherwise he was average built and a fairly cheerful, optimistic person. He had short light brown hair and Kirito had no idea what color his eyes were. As Tetsuo always had his eyes scrunched up in a perpetual grin.

Now they had arrived back at Aincrad. The MBC had mounts thankfully so the group was able to make it through the forest in time. The third event was tomorrow and the group decided to split up for the rest of the day. Kirito had already set all his business up through pm's several nights ago and told the group he needed to go take care of some things.

Kirito had to visit Liz and collect more throwing picks in bulk, then he had to pick up another bulk order of javelins. Finally he needed to cross the city to see Agil and sell off his excess loot. Later he would meet back up with them at an inn on the eastern side of the third tier. Where they could relax and enjoy themselves before tomorrow.

* * *

Alright another chapter, yay!

I hope you liked it.

Anyway I would like to say that the riddle/poem that Kirito first finds at the beginning is subject to change, as I find it rather corny and it doesn't quite get across what I want. But I have been trying for several days now and I can't get anything better.

Feel free to write a review, positive or negative. Send me a pm on any kinds of questions or comments or concerns you have. Or just stay tuned for another chapter. Either way I appreciate them all and am glad you guys seem to like my story so much. I will be trying to regularly update and do my best for this story.


	13. Third Event Arc: Ch 13

Yo! Here is chapter 13 and the third event. Let's get rolling.

* * *

_Bing!_

Yo, Kirito!

I figure you will show up to the event today so I want you to know that you are welcome to fight with me and the guys again. We will be eating in the same place as last event, so ya know just come on ever if you're game. Otherwise good luck today man.

-Klein

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_February 4__th__  
Aincrad Tier One, Central Plaza _

Kirito quickly closed the fifth message Klein had sent him since yesterday. The Moonlit Black Cats had requested him to join them for the event and for some reason he had agreed. So here he stood among the large crowd of players as they milled about waiting to deploy.

'So far it seems I missed nothing yesterday.'

The previous day's pre-event strategy meeting had ended before Kirito had even arrived in the city. But he doubted it was much different from the meeting before the second event.

-Meet up early in the morning. Check.

-Organize based on level and experience. Check.

-Wait for sign of event. Check.

-Mobilize, and deploy defense.

'All that is left is the event itself.'

A nervous looking Sachi stood in front of Kirito. She was zoned out and was probably busy worrying. He noticed she did that a lot.

"Oi! Don't hit me like that."

Ducker was flailing about as usual. He was a bundle of energy and Sasamaru had at some point made it his job to smack Ducker in the head whenever he got too annoying. With everyone's nerves on end today, the two were forcing themselves through the routine. Sachi smiled slightly at the duo's interaction.

'Huh. Maybe they are just trying to get Sachi to relax.'

His attention was drawn back to the group.

"Ha Sasamaru there is no way in hell you will get more kills then me. I am the best assassin Aincrad's ever seen. Beware my dagger of death, mwuhahaha!"

_Bonk!_

"You idiot stop dancing like that. It looks creepy. That little dagger of yours isn't gonna be worth anything in this cluster fuck of a fight. It's us with long reach weapons who do everything. So you should just go buy a spear."

Kirito ignored Ducker's animated response as he started looking around the plaza. Dozens of new stands stood around the edges of the square. Players hawking everything from bits of stale bread, too blacksmith's and carpenters trying to corner nervous players into last minute sales.

"You never know what this event will bring, you might really need this halberd."

All sorts of similar lines were being thrown around. Kirito was just glad no one had approached him.

It was now nearly noon and no news of the event had come forth. The sun was warm today melting the residue snow that had accumulated over the past week.

"Th-the weather is n-nice today, right Kirito?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah it is nice the storm cleared off."

Sachi fell silent again. And Kirito not wanting to just end the conversation so awkwardly spoke again.

"So err, you use throwing weapons right?"

She looked at him and smiled slightly.

"Yes. I have two different style of throwing picks and then I have javelins as well."

She materialized a different throwing pick into each hand. One was the Graig design Kirito was familiar with, the other was not a design Kirito had seen before. Sachi was twirling the picks around in her hands and Kirito noticed she was speaking again.

"-the Graig design is really nice as it flys really straight, but with this new pick I can deliver twice as much damage in one hit. It is still only half that of a javelin, but these picks are much quicker to throw and I can throw one from each hand."

"What? That pick does twice as much damage as the Graig variant?"

Sachi giggled at Kirito's amazed expression.

"Where did you get it? What's it called?"

"It's called a ‹‹Tywodach Throwing Pick››. The vendor I usually stock up at had this and several other kinds."

Sachi suddenly blushed.

"I picked them because they are tan colored. It was something different from gray and I wanted some variety… So…"

She trailed off and Kirito just looked at her amused.

'Tywodach huh? Must be someone found a city in a different direction. Maybe Liz knows something about it. I certainly won't be asking Argo.'

**BONG! BONG! BONG!**

The city's alarm bells suddenly blared. The noise in the plaza was gone in an instant. Hundreds of player's were disturbed from a relaxing lunch as the imminent event was announced. Faces grew stony and gazes sharpened all across the square. Kirito watched players equipping their gear in little flashes of light.

"HEY EVERYONE!"

The shout drew the square's attention. It was Diavel. He stood on top of a roof overlooking the square. His two lieutenants flanked him. Kibaou the noisy eager man in charge of the ranged division, and the stoic friendly looking Heathcliff. A man who was able to hold a shield wall together no matter the pressure.

"Hello everyone! I don't have time for a long speech or anything, but so far we think the event is going to be at the south gate. Npc refugees are coming in from that direction. I know that this is the most fractured our command has been since the first event.

"But I hope we can work together well with all the different guilds that are participating. Our victory will come through UNITY!

"Now, let's head south."

The mass of players began marching towards the south gate. This was very similar to the last event. The huge clump slowly moving toward the south gate. Kirito could only hope someone had figured out a way to repair it.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Aincrad Tier Three, South Gate_

Coming into the vast courtyard that stood before the south gate Kirito noticed just how cramped it was. There seemed to be nearly twice as many people as the last event. Which would put their numbers somewhere around 6,000 players.

He saw players at the gate doing something with their inventory, but the crowd pushed him forward and he lost sight of them. Sachi was pressed into his shoulder as they followed behind the rest. Her shield was slung over her back for quick access and Kirito could see her white knuckle grip on a pick in each hand.

Then the two split from the MBC and joined the group moving toward the stairs. The ranged division was four times as big as before. It seems a huge portion of the new players in this event would rather launch projectiles then participate in the meat grinder melee that the gate fight turned in to.

The wall was very crowded and players were spread very wide. Kibaou had noticed this problem but his yelling was useless as there simply was no room. Kirito and Sachi were about 40 feet to the right of the gatehouse with the stairs in between.

"Kirito… Are you sure we can meet back up with the others?"

Sachi was worried as the last event she had equipped a spear and tried to assist her guild in the melee fight. This time, with encouragement from the guild she went with Kirito to the wall.

He turned and scanned the assembling crowd. They were once again being formed up into concentric lines around the gate. Keita had said they would try to get a spot on the left in the fourth line. So he looked and spotted Ducker's vibrant yellow hat bobbing about among the mess of people.

"Look."

He pointed.

"See Ducker's hat. They are right there."

Sachi's grip look a little relaxed now and she was no longer swaying back and forth. Kirito assumed she was now calmer. Looking toward the gate he saw those players again. This time large wooden beams were wedged against the gate. Extra reinforcement barring entrance to the city it would seem. Then a great clamor among the crowd drew his attention.

"What the fuck?"

The player next to him summed up everyone's thought. Five players were carrying a ballista through the square toward the wall. People were parting for the group giving them access. It was big and bulky, and looked somewhat primitive. However this made it none the less impressive. Somehow these guys had put this together.

They took it to the right side and were given plenty of room to assemble it on the spot. The stand was set and the huge bow slotted into place. Either side had large crank wheels. It looked almost unreal but there it was. Someone materialized huge metal tipped wooden bolts and laid them down in a bundle.

A player's shout of,

"I see them!"

Quickly drew everyone's attention off the large weapon. And indeed a huge dust cloud was hanging in the air off in the distance as a huge horde advances toward Aincrad. Individuals couldn't be distinguished from such a long distance. So what exactly was heading their way was still unknown.

The crowd once again quieted down as another shout sounded. Diavel was atop the gatehouse looking over the assembled players.

"Ahem. Alright everyone, this is no time to mess around. We have done this twice already we can do it this time then the next and the next after. Together we can survive this. Just follow the strategy, we don't need hero's here just winners. You guys are the best, now let us kick some mob ass together! Victory through unity!"

Just as Diavel finished a deep savage roar carried over the plain and crashed upon the defenders. With a series of pops the npc wall defenders materialized. The wall was much too crowded and the npcs appeared on the plain outside.

"They are on the ground outside…"

"Is this a bug?"

"That is a lot of firepower out there undefended."

The players were murmuring amongst one another. The npcs moved toward the gate and bunched up around it. Then just stood there milling about.

The approaching horde was starting to gain some clarity. Huge creatures were mixed in among thousands of smaller bodies. At the front a giant creature roared again and started to pull ahead of the main group. Its body seemed to glint as the sun shone on it.

"Is, is that a rhino?"

Someone asked.

"No, that's a giant armored rhino."

Someone answered deadpan. And indeed it was. A humungous rhinoceros covered in sheets of hanging scale mail and thick plates. Its horn was rounded off to a dull point. It screamed again and its charging speed picked up.

The ballista's bow snapped into place and sent a bolt hurtling out towards the rhino. It smashed into the ground nowhere near its target. Frantic shouts of reload where sounded and the five man engineering team frantically tried to slot another bolt and redraw the bow.

They managed and tried aiming at the giant again. Another sharp snap as the bow fired and the bolt hissed through the air. It again smashed into the ground. As they tried to draw the bow for a third time, the items durability gave out and the ballista snapped and fell into pieces. Cried of dismay sounded out from the defenders.

The rhino was close enough to get a good look at now. It stood 15 feet tall, much too big to fit through the gate. But that didn't seem to matter. As it continued to thunder closer the npc archers reacted and began firing arrows towards it. Everyone stared dumbfounded as the monster of a rhino didn't even react to the arrows plinking off its armor.

"Get the fuck away from the gate!"

Someone on the wall yelled down. The rhino's steps were shaking the ground and it was nearly at the wall. It roared again then dropped its horn and it smashed straight through the assembled npcs. They were pixelated instantly and the rhino collided right into the reinforced south gate with a tremendous crack.

Then it continued right forward. The gate house shook and began crumbling as the giant's girth struggled into the hole. The weight and momentum behind the titan's charge had obliterated the gate and the gatehouse was not stopping its size. It roared again and pushed itself straight up into the gate house.

The stone structure broke apart and head sized stones started raining around the area. Players in the first line could only stare in dumb shock as the titanic rhino regained its footing and advanced forward through the remains of the gatehouse.

"Throw your weapons! Aim at the neck! Aim at the neck!"

Kibaou roared to his skirmishers. An assortment of throwing weaponry began plinking of the rhino's immense armor. On the ground the first and second line had shoved backwards and gotten stuck against the third line. Now intermingled they had no order.

Several eager low levels rushed forward and their weapons failed to penetrate the beast's defense. It seemed like an un-killable tank. They were quickly thrown backwards as the rhino swung its head around. A small guild that was outfitted as pike men advanced forward in a tight formation. They started needling at the rhino's eyes.

One strike was true and the rhino's left eye was gored out. It reared back and roared its fury. It was on its back legs and the pike men jabbed their pikes into the unprotected underbelly and started trying to flip the rhino onto its back. When Agil dashed forward with his massive war hammer. It glowed a vibrant purple and he grunted as he bashed the rhino on the left flank.

The smashing hit did a great job and pushed the unbalanced monster over. Diavel was suddenly there and his sword found the creatures neck and he was quick to slash it repeatedly. Other players streaked forward and began delivering damage to its stomach.

A loud shattering noise was heard as the rhino broke into a storm of blue pixels and dispersed into the wind. In the aftermath of the shock and awe rhino battering ram, the defenders were quick to try and re-organize. Diavel's shouting managed to help the process.

Amazingly no players had been killed by the rhino. Several dozen skirmishers were injured when the gatehouse shattered, but they had all survived and the rhino had no real offensive power without its massive size to let it bulldoze through anyone.

Sachi looked at Kirito and asked.

"The others will be alright, right?"

"Umm, I am sure they are."

He tried to reassure her. He pointed to where they had been earlier.

"It doesn't seem like anyone died from the rhino, so I am sure they will be in the same place when the raid reforms."

Sachi nodded her head and they both turned to look out at what was coming next.

The advancing horde looked to be made up of thousands of random animals. Wolves, bears, foxes, lions, tigers, and several regular sized rhinos without the armor. Besides such normal creatures there were also huge insects. Bear sized spiders and wolf sized ants. And in the center of it all on top of a giant red scorpion was a small hut.

Dried wooden beams made the lattice work and interwoven were dozen of human skulls that supported the hut. In the hut's opening was a dark human sized figure. Presumable the boss leading this animal pack.

"Well fuck me sideways."

A player next to Kirito said. Kibaou had sadly managed to survive the collapsing gatehouse and now was standing atop one of the crenellations near where the structure used to be.

"Alright everyone. We fucked up with that rhino. But we won't now. Do you hear me? Nothing, literally not a single critter is getting inside this wall. So get ready to throw like you mean it."

A single wolf let loose a loud blood chilling howl. Then the assembled creatures roared, yipped, howled, and screeched together in a cacophony of noise and all as one started moving forward. The scorpion stayed back where it had come to rest.

The first line of defenders had been repositioned into the remains of the gate house. Players had scrambled to collect the loose stones and piled them with the foundation to create a very fragile defensive position.

Locked, shields together and stabbing weapons primed, the first line stood ready to receive the charge that was coming.

"Attack!"

Yelled Kibaou. Only for his voice to be drowned out as the skirmishers roared their challenge to the enemy and began peppering the oncoming creatures. Sachi even let out a short little yell and began hurling her picks two at a time.

The front line of the animal charge instantly melted. Left right and center the creatures broke apart into pixels, only for their brethren to continue through their remains. Only for the next wave of projectiles to smash down and deliver wholesale slaughter.

"YES YE YES! KEEP IT UP YEAH!"

Kibaou was going nuts as he saw his troops earn him eternal glory. Only for his plan to yield to reality as the creatures began to make it through the line of fire. A rhino was the first and it smashed into the shield wall and bent the defense deeply. The wounds it suffered in return sent it shattering into oblivion.

A dozen spiders on the far right made it to the wall and started climbing it. The newer weaker players there instantly turned and ran as the monsters reached the top and started decimating the skirmishers.

Havoc truly erupted as up and down the wall more and more spiders started to climb the wall. Only for the slower ants to join in once they reached the wall and ascend it as well. A panicked melee broke out on the wall. Most of the players only had their ranged weaponry and the stats didn't lend themselves well to melee combat.

Kirito had drawn his sword and slashed a spiders head clean through. Only to turn and see Sachi release a pair of picks into an oncoming ants skull. The creature twitched pitifully before Sachi now armed with a javelin jabbed it in the abdomen and shoved it off the wall.

Down below the animals were now freely assaulting the front line. They were holding but the strange and varied attack patterns were proving difficult to manage. The third line was issued to help the skirmishers.

The stairs were crazy. The third line was trying to fight their way up but fleeing skirmishers were madly trying to shove their way free. Spiders and ants were biting and spearing players around them with casual ease.

And then the worst happened. As the skirmishers broke up and down the wall. The giant scorpion began advancing. It quickly covered the distance and strode over the wall. A giant pincer slashed toward the right side of the first line and its blunt force knocked away a dozen players.

The gap in the shield wall was then exploited by several bears and a dozen foxes as they rushed in. The second line moved forward to try and respond but already the first line began to break.

"Sachi! We have to go and find the others."

Kirito's words got her attention and she stopped throwing javelins towards the hut on the scorpion. Kirito then started shoving his way through the remaining skirmishers and the melee from the third line towards the stairs.

The ants and spiders had been driven from the left side, while the right side of where the gatehouse once had been was close to being overrun. The scorpions other pincer was making quick work of whoever tried to stand and fight there.

Diavel was shouting his head off trying to bring forward the reserve 5th and 6th lines. They consisted mostly of newer recruits players whose levels were not quite up to where they needed to be for front line fighting. As Kirito shoved his way towards the stairs he was shoved back by a familiar heater shield.

The MBC stood before him.

"Sachi! Kirito, good you guys are alright."

Keita spoke when he saw the two of them.

"Keita why are you guys here? I thought you were part of the fourth line?"

"Well do you see this madness? We had to get to Sachi and you as well so we joined up with the guys heading this way. It is not like someone in the fourth line was gonna tell us not to go. They were all freaking out about fighting."

Before they could continue the scorpion lashed out and punched a hole through all the remaining lines of defense. And then is jumped and came crashing down on another section of the fourth line who were now fighting together with the first, second, and the fifth lines.

When the animals once again exploited the hole in the defense everything turned crazy. Already this event had been going much different from the previous two. The sheer chaos going on down below was crazy. Players were flat out turning and running. Every line was breaking and the scorpion and his minions were taking full advantage of it.

Kirito saw Diavel mixed in organized knot of players who were steadily backing up and fending off the advancing foes. Diavel was shouting for players to form up with him as they retreated giving ground. Kirito motioned towards them and the MBC all nodded in agreement.

The left side of the wall began retreating to catch up to the reforming defense as all around them animals bit and slashed at them. The defense was broken and right now the players were barely holding it together.

Kirito ducked under a brown bears thick paw, and used ‹‹dismember›› a vicious four strike attack to lop the bear's limbs off. It quickly shattered into pixels silencing its roar of pain. To his side Sachi hurled another javelin and struck down an approaching lion and Ducker and Sasamaru pinned down a pair of wolves. Tetsuo and Keita worked in tandem to fight a handful of small red foxes that were dashing about biting ankles and de-buffing player movement.

Behind the MBC a group of players followed in their wake as they bee lined straight toward the retreating front line. The giant scorpion was currently smashing the surrounding houses. Its thick pincers flattening everything they struck. Its tailed remained poised high above its back waiting for a good target to strike.

Diavel's group was currently stalled at the intersection of the two main roads in the southern third tier. The first road ran straight through all three tiers from the center plaza outside from the third tier gate. Then the main road the circled the entire tier was playing host to a losing battle.

Diavel's group was maintain their position to provide a safe zone to retreating players. If they continued falling back. Many players were in danger of being surrounded and overwhelmed. Kirito and co were close to linking up to the group. He slashed a wolf across the muzzle and shoulder shoved a stunned tiger. A throwing pick materialized in his left hand and a quick yellow glow illuminated it as he flicked his wrist and launched it into an advancing ant's skull.

All around him players were fighting ferociously to break free to the main line. A group of skirmishers stood near the center of the moving group and harried and animals that tried to sneak up behind the group.

Not soon later they broke through and Kirito plus a hundred other players linked up with Diavel's thousand odd force. Only a sixth of the original army remained fighting. The others had all retreated back to the second tier.

Kirito got near the back and took the time to catch his breathe. It felt like they had been fighting for days when it had only taken the creatures close to two hours to push the defenders this far. It had been a fierce and chaotic struggle thus far, and there still seemed to be hundreds of creatures smashing themselves against the defenders.

"We can't hold the scorpion. We must retreat to the second tier. Diavel we must retreat!"

His lieutenant Heathcliff was yelling at the raid leader. Diavel seemed to accept the man's words.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE ORGANIZED RETREAT! ORGANIZED RETREAT! STAY IN FORMATION!"

The shield wall started backing up as dozens of wolves were kept at bay. Suddenly a clatter of hooves sounded out and a player's yell cut across the din of the battle field.

"WE WILL COVER YOU! DIAVEL, TAKE THIS TIME TO GET BACK TO THE SECOND TIER!"

A huge roar of,

"CHARGE!"

Followed the player's announcement and to everyone's shock the KoR came dashing forward. 30 mounted players came crashing into the animals flank and obliterated the creatures. They charged through and continued along the third tiers main circling road. A distance down they circled and reformed for a second charge.

The animal's attention was solely focused on the mounted guild and the foot troops broke the shield wall and turned to retreat in an orderly jog. They were still a while out from the second gate. The more time the knights could provide the better.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Asuna_

"Reform! Reform! Alright forward canter. Charge on my command."

Her voice was strong and her guild had no issue listening. They had not planned to participate this event. But when the dire situation became clear, she had formed them up and led them to try and provide relief to the retreating front line.

The first charge had been great. No casualties on her side and dozens of animals were slain. Now they were charging back in without the element of surprise. This time large bears were rushing to meet them. With a battle cry Asuna spurred her horse forward and couched her lance. Her knights surged forward as well.

Their lances were adorned with banners that declared their guild's new name ‹‹Knights of the Realm››. The change was odd. But her guild mates had insisted it was much better then knights of ruin. And the same acronym could still be applied to their name so no one seemed bothered by the change.

But this wasn't important at the moment. What was important was driving her lance through that bears throat rather than admiring the banner on said lance. And so newly refocused the KoR clashed with their foes.

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Kirito_

"Wow was that really the KoR? I heard they had disbanded after their total failure last event."

"I wouldn't say such things about them. They may have messed up once, but what they just did for us is truly a blessing. That commander of theirs is now my guardian angel."

_Smack!_

"Shut up Ducker. No one wants to hear you say such things."

"Aww Sasamarrrruuuu! Don't hit me."

Sachi giggled at their interaction and Kirito couldn't help the small smirk as these two continued their never ending comedy act. Keita rolled his eyes and Tetsuo was too busy downing a health potion to care.

They had made it to the second tier and Diavel had sent people off to watch the other gates and ensure they were closed. Then he sent some of the lower level players who had no wish to return to the fight to try and evacuate any non-combat players to the first tier. It was just a precaution but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Kirito and Sachi bid the group farewell and made their way atop the second tier wall. It was a much sturdier and more defensive wall. Skirmishers were already taking position between the crenellations and above the gatehouse murder holes.

Diavel was trying to rest all the players who had fought during his mad retreat but they were his veteran core and he needed them to help hold the front lines again. So the players from before who had fled were being intermixed in the front lines to try and allow the tired front liners some rest.

The defenders were several thousand players strong once more. No one knew how many players had been killed during that chaotic melee but clearly there were players who were just not returning to fight round two.

Then from the wall Kirito saw several dozen horses dashing toward the gate. It would seem the KoR was done and had decided to return. The problem was the wolves nipping at their heels. It was going to be tight getting them inside.

Players quickly opened the large gate and the shield wall parted to make room for their entrance. The cavalrymen thundered in through the gate full speed. As soon as they were out of the line of fire, a hundred picks and javelins hissed down to slaughter their pursuers.

With the wolves dead and the KoR safely inside the foot troops began loudly cheering the KoR for their timely help. Kirito couldn't help but notice the missing knights. The KoR was down a third of their members it would seem.

But the time for celebration quickly ended as someone shouted.

"That giant ass scorpion is coming this way. What are we gonna do about it?"

As if in response to the player's exclamation 150 npc archers spawned on the wall. These npc guards were much stronger compared to the weaker version who defend the third tier. With space on the wall they were properly positioned. As the scorpion drew nearer the archers took aim and released a huge volley.

150 shafts screamed through the air and their metal heads punctured the scorpion's tough exoskeleton. The scorpion was only mildly bothered by the arrows. Its health dipped an unnoticeable amount and it continued crawling toward the second tier gate. Someone was tugging on his sleeve so Kirito turned his attention from the approaching monster.

"Kirito don't you think we should go up into one of the tower?"

"No Sachi. If I were that big scorpion the first thing I would do is smash those towers down. It's definitely better to be out of the way."

"Hmm yeah I guess that makes sense…"

Their conversation was cut from ended as Kibaou once more appeared among the battlements. His prominent spiky hair drawing the skirmishers attention. Whether they viewed him as someone with actual leadership over them was debatable. But Diavel trusted him and he had never done a bad job directing the skirmishers weaponry. As a person though he was unanimously disliked. Kirito often heard random skirmishers making snide remarks when the prickly man spoke.

"Alright guys bring me, no I mean us glory! Kill that scorpion!"

Kibaou then hefted a javelin and allowed the skill system to power his throw. It flew straight and far. But ultimately the scorpion still was a ways off. His javelin ended up smashing a random window. Several people did a poor job hiding their snickering at that.

"Well… When that scorpion is closer let's fuck it up!"

He then swaggered off to where ever it was he went to.

Jokes aside the scorpion was nearly in range. The archers were still hammering it but they were just shooting its limbs and causing little to no damage. Kirito could just barely make out a shadowy figure inside the hut atop the scorpion.

The remaining animals could be seen congregating down the road. They still numbered several hundred but their numbers were greatly diminished from all the fighting. The spiders, ants, rhino's and lions had been completely killed. Which was why the assault was paused till the scorpion manages to knock in the next gate.

Kirito judged it to be within range and ready one of his javelins. He still easily had over half his arsenal. As he had not had much time to really unload. The players around him seemed to be settling themselves in to do some serious fighting as well.

Suddenly an arrow flew from the hut and struck a player in the right tower. Her scream of pain was heard but thankfully it did not fall silent. She had not been killed by the singular blow.

The scorpion however decided to follow its rider's direction and advanced toward the right tower. This megalith of a creature stood around 20 feet tall and its massive pincer was strong enough to smash in the thick stone tower.

It was an explosion of stone. The chunks rained down on the defenders. Bodies flew among the debris and blue pixels floated away in the breeze.

The scorpion's sudden attack was met with a hail of projectiles. The players were not as simple as the npcs and they concentrated on the hut atop its back and at its beady black eyes. Javelins, knifes, picks, axes, stones, and even several glass bottles were hurled.

The first barrage carried several hundred projectiles. Dozens found their mark and the scorpions was blinded. The last thing it saw was its claw destroying the tower. Near a hundred projectiles connect with the hut but the only response was a second arrow flying forth.

Javelins were jammed into the scorpions joints limiting its movement slightly. While through sheer weight of numbers the scorpion's health was now below half. A vivid red filled the end portion of its health bar. It was thrashing wildly and was trampling a section of the third tier. Houses, inns, and shops became rubble instantly.

No obvious effect came from the thrown glass so Kirito assumed they had proven ineffectual. Until a player stepped forth with a lit javelin. His flaming missile sunk into part of the scorpions head and over half of its face lit up in a blaze of flames.

The creature shuddered once then collapsed against the gate. Oddly it did not shatter. The figure rose from the hut and revealed itself to be a large black garbed human. Or so Kirito saw till he registered the man's skin was also as black as his clothes.

‹‹Ranzat The Beast Overlord›› Was his displayed name. A small chunk of his health was missing. And clutched in his arms was a small curved bow. It was white with golden embellishments. Ranzat drew the bow back and an arrow appeared between his fingers fitted to the string. He released and it flew up and ricocheted off one of the battlements.

He roared in an unknown language and swung his arm forward. The remaining creatures surged forward and used the still there scorpion body as a ramp. The skirmishers were flinging full throttle and the advancing animals were dying in droves. Kibaou was shouting to Diavel the need for melee troops when one of Ranzat's arrows caught Kibaou in the shoulder. He would have fallen from the wall if someone hadn't grabbed his other shoulder to steady him.

To Kibaou's credit he ripped the shaft free and cursed loudly as he urged Diavel to redeploy quicker.

The higher level skirmishers with melee ability moved to stand atop the wall before the oncoming horde. Kirito was heading there himself before Sachi gripped his arm.

"Kirito where are you going? It is going to be very dangerous over there."

"Sachi. I don't know if you guys have figured this out yet or not but I am level 50. I am one of the strongest player's here. It is kind of my thing to fight at the front. So just let me go and watch cause I bet ya I do something bad ass, ok?"

Before she could respond he jumped into the flow of people pushing toward the fight. Already the faster wolves and foxes were engaging the players closest. Melee troops were trying to quickly move toward the area, but the skirmishers still trying to fight and others trying to retreat was delaying them.

At the front Kirito was able to quickly fill a hole and insert himself into the mad frenzy. He shoved a wolf off a downed player and sliced open its stomach cavity. A second swipe to the head ended the creature. He turned to see a fox lunging at him. His last second swing was too late and he missed. It barreled into his thigh and bit deeply.

His left hand suddenly lit up with light blew energy as he smashed it against the fox's skull. The short stun kicked in forcing it to release its teeth. Kirito kicked it away and caught it with a downward slash.

Looking around he could see more and more players arrive on scene. The air above was still filled with projectiles arc onto the advancing animals. Before he could get complacent a large white polar bear rushed into his area and slashed its claw toward him and a second player.

The player tried to dodge but ended up tripping himself and Kirito. In a jumble on the ground he quickly fumbled and activated his off-hand throwing dagger. It materialized and with a flick of the wrist was sent rocketing into the bears exposed throat. The streak of yellow light indicating it as a powered skill.

As the bear fell onto the two of them it exploded into millions of blue shards. Kirito shoved the player off himself and the two quickly regained their footing. Kirito caught a glance of the boss. Its hp was below half and it was riddled with an assortment of weaponry.

Likely Kibaou had told everyone to focus it. If it died to a thrown weapon his glory would naturally be eternal. It didn't matter if he wasn't the one to throw it.

But he was dragged into another fight as a pair of tigers ran toward him. The large orange striped beasts opened their mouths to show rows of sharp teeth. The closer one was larger and it leaped first. Claw extended, intent on ripping into Kirito.

With no room to maneuver away, he initiated a leap skill and met the tiger head on. His blade hummed with energy and sliced clean through one of the tiger's arms and bit deeply into its face. Its howl of pain was ignored as the second one came from the side toward him. But a silvery spear suddenly poked its brains out as a player assisted him. They both shattered into pixels.

But there was no time to admire the effects as another bear surrounded by three wolves was approaching this section of the wall. Kirito fell upon the first wolf in his vision and dispatched it quickly with a three strike combo. The other two wolves pinned a player. While a third player was needling the bear with his spear.

Another glance revealed the boss engaged in a quick back to back flurry of strikes and block with Heathcliff. The boss's health now blinked red.

As the third player kept the bear occupied Kirito summoned up a javelin and hurled it at the closer wolf. The missile went through its gut and knocked it off balance. And Kirito dashed after it to shove the wolf off the player. A fourth player appeared and slashed the beast with his katana. While several others piled into the fight and killed off the bear.

"Yo Kirito!"

Exclaimed a recognizable voice.

"Hello to you as well Klein. Issin, Harry One, Dale, Kunimittz, and Dynamm good to see you haven't died."

"Oi watch it Kirito. We are professionals now ya hear?"

"Hmph ok."

A twisted shriek erupted from the center of the battle. His minions were slain and the boss was on his knees in his final moments of life. Diavel stepped forward to deal the final blow. Kirito was not sure where he had come from, hadn't Heathcliff been fighting the boss?

But a small axe went whizzing by Diavel and smote the boss in the neck. The blow was fatal and the boss exploded in a shower of blue pixels. Sadly the scorpion dad as well. So dozens of players found themselves crashing into the ground form a short fall.

Luckily such damage was fixed as long as their health didn't drop to zero.

Up on the ramparts it was silent. Except for one loud obnoxious cheering voice.

"Fuck yeah! Did you guys see that? I just put that Beast Overlord wannabe straight into the ground. One blow from the mighty Kibaou and you shall be slain. FEAR MEEEE!"

Diavel was glaring angrily at Kibaou but he quickly covered his emotion as he realized he needed to keep his control while in front of his army.

"Ahh, a congratulations are in order for you Kibaou. A better blow not even I could have struck. Well done."

Diavel's voice was composed, except for his heavy breathing from the exertion of fighting he seemed to actually be happy for Kibaou. But the majority of people there weren't buying it. Someone kill steals you like that? Anyone would be pissed as hell.

"Well everyone, great job."

Diavel said in a tired voice.

"But it looks like we have a serious rebuilding to do huh?"

Surveying the southern section of the third tier Kirito saw what he meant. It was a mess. The second tier wall was one tower short. Most of the section between the walls was smashed to rubble. Reclaimable thrown weapons littered the ground here and there. And the south gate on the third tier wall was in shambles.

The gate house was missing the top half and most of the crenellations were chipped off the wall. All in all it was nearly un-defendable.

"Well I sure am glad I don't do construction work."

A nearby player chuckled at his statement. But Kirito had already turned and was heading off to go get a good meal then sleep in the closest inn.

* * *

Well that's chapter 13 and the third event.

I hope you enjoyed it.

And I hope you can see I do plan to start making the events varied. But rest assured there will be epic sieges to come.

As a side note, I have been thinking about my actions scenes and I figured what a better time to ask then during an action packed chapter.

So what do you guys think about my actions scenes? do they make sense, do they flow well? Do they make Kirito seem to op or to under powered? Are they full of plot holes where one moment kirito fights off an entire army then has his hands full with a couple wolves? I am curious about how you guys see it. So if you are willing please share your thoughts with me, either via a review, a pm or even check out my onslaught forum and discuss it there.

Anyway I am out, until the next chapter.


	14. 4th Event Arc: Ch 14 Very Important AN

**MUST READ!**

Alright so I have news. I say it's good news but I can see how some people would think it's bad.

I am rewriting Onslaught. The entire thing, from start to an eventual finish. Two reasons. The first is that I haven't ever really put much effort into any of the chapters I've written. And I believe it shows. The story is full of holes and there are plenty of things in it that I don't ever remember writing. My notes were basically non-existent and so I was sorta clueless when I started writing this chapter. It was very frustrating.

Before I would just read back through the story any time I took a break between writing. But the story is continuously growing and I don't want to re-read through it so often just to remember a sub plot. So reason number one is everything is too messy.

Reason number two is that the story actually has a plot besides just the general Kirito will survive 5 years idea. I've received a lot of helpful advice and I've seriously considered what I've already written. So there are now whole sub plots and an actual plot, written down and ready for me to use. Aside this I've changed a lot of things in the world. An example is that, rather then focusing on Argo as one of the characters I would rather write a Sinon perspective. That's one of the biggest difference between version one and two.

Anyway I was kind of rambling. What this note is here for is to let everyone know the story is not abandoned nor forgotten. But damn its been a long time since I updated it huh?

So I am rewriting Onslaught and I've already put a bunch of effort into the new version of the story. I think the difference is obvious.

But you guys are my loyal readers and I want to know what you think about something. Should I post the rewrite as a separate story post and leave this one up or should I delete all the chapters and just repost the new ones? I have put up a poll on my profile for this. Please let me know what you think.

Should I post this as a new story there will be one final chapter posted to this story to let anyone/everyone know.

As a final note, this might be a long author's note but the chapter below still has a decent amount of content. 4710 words when I uploaded the document. But it is not a complete chapter. The Kirito part is sort of cut off where I was working on it. And I was going to add another POV after Asuna but I decided to rewrite while I was working on this chapter so I just sort of stopped working on it.

But I figured you guys deserved it if you managed to read that whole AN. Please Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

_February 5__th__  
Aincrad Tier Three, South-West District_

The early morning sun bathed Kirito's sleeping figure in a warm glow. He groaned and rolled over as nature's wake-up call hit his face. 'Should've shut the damn shade…' He silently moaned.

Half his face lay molded to his pillow but his left eye was still free and it lazily opened as he blearily manipulated the air in front of his face. His menu appeared and he tapped the blinking icon alerting him to an un-read PM.

_Hi Kirito,_

_It me Sachi. I hope you are alright. I lost sight of you when you ran off yesterday and I never managed to find you again. I figured you probably ditched the post event party huh? You should have come, Ducker convinced Sasamaru and Tetsuo into a drinking contest. It got totally out of control and this old guy who joined crushed everyone. It was really funny._

_Anyway… I told the group about your real level. But no one really cares that you hadn't mentioned it. We already knew you were very strong when you ran into you all alone. Level 50 though, wow._

_Oh, whoopsie I am rambling te-he. We are going to go check out what's east this month. Everyone agreed you are invited to come along if you want._

_Just message me back before we leave tomorrow afternoon if you wanna come._

_-Sachi_

Kirito dismissed the blue screen and rolled over again. Blinking into the sun he grumbled and sat up. Rubbing his eyes Kirito glanced around the room, till his eyes landed on a basin in the corner. While still in the city he wanted to take advantage of the available amenities. So Kirito hopped up and started to fill the metal tub with the spigot from the wall.

A stone slab lay beneath the lifted tub and some fresh cut firewood lay stacked to the side. He snagged some kindling and his ‹‹Fire Striker›› from his inventory and after several showers of sparks the tinder caught. Kirito carefully fed several logs into the growing conflagration. Several minutes later he shut the water off and fed several more logs to complete a small fire teepee. After breakfast he would have a nice hot bath to soak in.

Walking down the steps from his room, Kirito glanced around the common room of the ‹‹Fiery Wheat Inn››. Done up in wooden planks with dark wooden furniture the room blended perfectly with the medieval feeling of Aincrad's third tier. Kirito stepped over a large stain and found himself a stool of the corner of the bar counter.

The NPC's around the room were very quiet this morning. Only one table had a discussion going on. They were speaking barely above a whisper but Kirito was able to make out the topic. They were discussing yesterday's event and how many homes were destroyed from the scorpion's assault. Over a dozen businesses and a hundred families were now displaced.

After making his order Kirito pondered the issue. 'I wonder what an NPC does when it loses its house.' He blew on his hot porridge when it arrived then ate the meal in quick spoonfuls. 'Perhaps the house rebuilds itself? Or does a player have to rebuild it? Can't a player just build something else there then? Oh well. I imagine someone will have done something a month from now.'

A half-pint of frothy milk was set onto the counter in front of him and Kirito nodded to the waitress. The wooden mug was grabbed and Kirito took a sip only to forcefully spit the milk back into the mug. He gagged on the thick creamy drink and a player sitting next to him thumped him good on the back.

The NPC's eyed him oddly but didn't comment. However the man thumping his back was roaring with laughter. Across the quiet room it drew a lot of attention. The older man calmed himself after a moment "That milk isn't like what ya get back home boyo. It'd be straight from the cow here. Nice and thick, no modern tinkerin' in Aincrad," he said. Kirito didn't reply and the man just shrugged and returned to his porridge.

Looking into the mug Kirito couldn't tell his backwash from the naturally froth 'What the hell,' he thought 'I paid for it after all.' Mug in hand he finished the milk in a dozen large gulps. Getting up Kirito left his coins on the counter and went back to his room. 'It wasn't bad, but I certainly prefer my milk cold. Warm from the cow's udder is… Less than desirable.'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Liz  
Aincrad Second Tier, Heart Forged_

Liz startled awake as her alarm blared its shrill tone. Ripe and early at six am she woke and quickly fought her way out of bed. Today will be a busy day, she needs to get the forge roaring as quickly as possible. A stream of players will flood her shop all day past eight and they will keep her busy for the remainder of the week.

She groaned as she felt the small mental fatigue from waking up two hours earlier than normal. However not being open and ready for business earlier today would be a sure way to lose a lot of customers. She shuffled over to stand in front of her massive oak armoire. All her clothes were packed into the piece of furniture that occupied over half her bedroom.

She shimmed out of her comfy silk pajamas and set about changing into her working leathers. Most people preferred to let the system change their clothing when they equipped it with their menu. But Liz always gets a painful wedgie when she lets the system do it. So she just manually changes her clothes. She reached out and grabbed a length of red ribbon which she used to tie her hair back into a short pony tail.

Breakfast would be arriving soon and she needed to be downstairs then. Frederick would not be pleased if she wasn't there to answer the door when she had requested an early delivery. He normally stopped by twice a week around 10:00am. But she doesn't have time for him except this early.

Walking towards her bedroom door she glanced at the miniature grandfather clock ticking away.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Its weathered frame rattled as a fist beat sharply against her backdoor. For a blacksmith's workshop her building shook way too much. '6:10, he's right on time. I just wish he wouldn't knock so loud. I only overslept that one Sunday…' She walked through her kitchen and went down the staircase into her workshop.

She hoped to catch the door before he knocked again. Her neighbors always complained to her about any sort of loud noise. The dumb NPC's like in the Metal District blacksmiths are everywhere here banging loudly every day. The NPC's on this street seem to think they live in the Merchant District. She had tried several times to reason with them but they are all delusional. Hopefully more players would move in soon.

She undoes the latch and catches the small fist heading towards her abdomen. She can smell her fresh rolls over the background of old garbage and mold that infests the alley. "Yes, yes I am here Frederick. Here is your col. Yes, thank you for the food. Yes, I know you are busy, ok run along," she quickly says.

The young boy glares at her from under his overly large olive beret. She never gives him a chance to speak. All because he complained she slept in and made him miss an appointment once. She tossed a handful of coins and he quickly scoops them out of the air with his hat. Liz sees his messy brown hair was recently cut but doesn't comment. The coins are soundlessly caught, seems she is his first customer today.

Frederick gives her a cheeky smile and runs off down the alley. He has a small burlap sack cinched to his shoulders and Liz can see it bulging with whatever else he is off to deliver. He is eager to finish the breakfast duty so he can run errands the rest of the day. After an event lazy players will be looking for someone to run their gear for repairs. While the cogneers will get anyone to run them supplies to hasten the repairs across the ruined south district. There is a small fortune to be made for the city's young kids.

Liz turns around and heads back up to her kitchen. She sets asides two fresh rolls and stores the rest of the food away in her pantry. Her small cooler is still stocked with ice and she smiles gleefully when she pulls out some butter. With a silly smile she spreads some on her rolls and digs in. She pours herself a cup of water and washes the flaky bread down.

When she is finished she pays a brief visits to the adjacent bathroom. Then she walks back down stairs towards her workshop. Her apron is strewn across the handrail and she snatches it to put on. The flamboyant red material is somewhat obnoxious. Still the ‹‹Fire Lizard Apron›› is twice as durable and five times more flame resistant than her previous apron. After it had caught fire and scared the shit out of her she had asked around at the guild meeting several days ago and been recommended her new one.

She cinched the apron tightly in place and donned the matching gloves from where they lay on her anvil. She turned from the center of the room to her stout brick forge alongside the far wall. She grabs of pair of tongs from the wall and pokes around the coals still on the hearth. She smiles and does a short jump of joy. "Yes!" She shouts.

Old man Turner smacks his cane against his wall in complaint but she ignores him. Some of the coals kept overnight so she stepped over to the bellows and started pumping slow bursts of air onto the embers.

She has been practicing keeping the coals lit overnight to expedite her morning process. This is the second time she had managed it. After a minute of working the bellows the embers had flared up and were burning hotter. She grabbed her shovel and piled fresh coals onto the hearth. She layered them into a nice thick bed. She set the shovel back against the metal bin full of coal. She had restocked it yesterday preparing for the week.

Back on the bellows she glanced down and noticed her sock clad feet standing on the cold smooth stone floor. She had forgotten to re-equip her boots again. She quickly materialized two boots and let the system put them on… Only to realize they were on the wrong feet.

She sighed and sat down on the floor to fix the mess. A minute later she got back up and started rhythmically pumping air to fan the spreading flames.

While staring at the growing conflagration she thought back to when she had been taught by an NPC smith to maintain her own forge. His had required no maintenance and burned 24/7 with no dangers. Only when he let her try her hand with the forge would it act unruly. It wasn't fair NPC smiths didn't have to do half the work she did!

After fifteen minutes the coals were now burning hot. The flames were a whitish-yellow in color and radiated extreme heat. The workshop had heated up quite a bit. Liz walked towards the large window stretching across the back wall and propped it half open. Thankfully none of the stench from the back alley wafted in as the hot air rushed from the room. She glanced at the sky and noted it would be a clear cold day.

She walked through the workshop and entered into the storefront. The grey stone room was immaculately organized and well stocked. Along the walls her craft hung polished to gleam from its previous dull gray. Decorations festooned the armor and her ‹‹Aincrad Iron›› gear was displayed from behind the counter.

She grabbed up her log book laying on the counter. She checked it to ensure she hadn't forgotten any back logged orders and was glad to see a clear entry. The week is going to be swamped enough. No need for a forgotten order.

Liz set the book down and walked towards the front door. She unlocked the door and took the wooden sign from where it hung against the door. She stepped out onto the stoop and propped the sign up on the edge of the road. The sign proclaimed her open for business so she turned and went back into the shop.

Sitting on her anvil with her feet propped up on her grinding wheel Liz hummed a song she had listened to a bard preform recently. Mentally she prepared herself for what was coming. People will bring her their gear in every condition imaginable.

Dents in their armor that needs to hammer flush, rents and rifts to fold closed, stiff joints that need loosening and some idiot will bring her a shredded shirt of chain mail but she doesn't have time to reattach a hundred different rings before noon. Someone will bring their torn leather armor and someone will whine about new wood for their shield. Sorry, but take that work to the tailors and woodworkers.

Then they will bring out their weaponry. Bent blades have to be straightened. Then sharpened to a keen edge. Knives have to be thin as a razor, axes are thick and somewhat blunt and swords range everywhere in-between. What a headache. Chipped weapons she smelts down and gives them a discount for a replacement. They will have spear heads need to be replaced and shields to re-band.

People will ask her to re-wrap their grip and ask where they can purchase javelins. More work for the tailors and woodworkers. Then come the custom orders… Sure any other time she will do a custom order for a slightly higher price. But not today, not tomorrow and probably not anytime this week.

When the pace eventually slows down she will once again start engraving pommels and breastplates. Someone will ask her to create a ridiculous custom weapon or piece of armor. On a slow day she will try if they pay for everything up front and are told there is no guarantee of success. Some of the things people think up and request are just too amusing to not try and equip them with.

Right before the last event a small skinny teenager had come to her with measly set of armor. He requested she enhance his iron codpiece. He wanted it to be at least twice as large and when she humored him he strutted out of the store with a bulging decorative crotch. Too bad there aren't cameras or she would have mounted that photo in the store.

Lost in her thoughts Liz was startled when the large iron bell hanging from her door clanged loudly announcing her first customer. She grabbed a rag and wiped her brow clear of sweat. A cheery smile stretched across her lips and she went to greet them. Three men and a woman stood in her store. They quickly request she sell them five dozen ‹‹Aincrad Iron Picks›› her best throwing pick design.

The col is exchanged and a damaged cabasset style helmet is handed over. The youngest guy among the group looked sheepish and asked, "Can you fix this miss?" Liz stared at the smashed in conical helmet and then replied.

"How the hell did you even survive this happening?" He laughed embarrassed and answered.

"It stopped just shy of mashing my skull. I guess that cone saved my life he he."

"I would seem so. Alright it'll take me about an hour to hammer this back into shape and it'll cost ya 250 col." The man hands her the col and one of his companions says.

"Good thing we came her first. Alright miss we will be back in an hour lets go stock up on everything else guys." A round of nodding heads answered the man and the group left. Liz carried the mangled helmet to her forge and tossed it into the flame. She took a pair of tongs off the wall and took hold of the helm and began slowly turning it waiting for it to heat up.

'A whole five dozen of my ‹‹Aincrad Iron Picks››… That's a third of my stock. I have plenty of other picks but no one will be happy with inferior weapons.' Her stock was limited when it came to the ‹‹Aincrad Iron›› style gear. It was a set of weapons and armor made for level 25 players and it was the strongest set at its level. But it cost a lot in time and money to make. So buying anything from the set was very expensive.

'I will have to limit sales to a set of a dozen per person, or maybe even six per person…' The ‹‹Aincrad Iron›› style was the Blacksmith Guild's ‹‹Initiate›› rank schematics. A smith had to be at least the second rank with the ‹‹Blacksmith›› skill a ‹‹Journeyman›› to craft any of the set. Liz had spent most of the past month working on completing her ‹‹Aincrad Iron›› set. If she could create every schematic she had purchased from the guild master she would be promoted to an ‹‹Apprentice›› within the guild and gain access to the next tier of guild schematics.

Two smiths had shown their collections at the previous meeting and been promoted. They were brothers who owned a shop together and while one worked on the set the other ran the shop. So they were the first and only ones so far to unlock the ‹‹Aincrad Steel›› set. By now they likely hadn't worked out how to make steel yet. It required a smith to be an ‹‹Expert›› with the ‹‹Blacksmith›› skill. And no one had enough time to progress out of ‹‹Journeyman››. Still the brother's featured nightly in most conversations and their shop was booming for it.

Liz couldn't wait till she could rank up in the guild. She only had several more pieces to create and at the next meeting she would show off her collection. She had a custom banner waiting to be strung across the street outside proclaiming her new advancement.

The cabasset was now glowing a dull red and she withdrew it from the forge. The black smoke parted around the helmet and rolled slowly up the brick chimney. She twisted around and snatched up her hammer. A small indicator popped up above the helmet and she started striking the glowing part to un-crumple it.

As she hammered it smoothly flowed back into shape. The indicator glowed green and she continued till the helmet was roughly in shape. She lifted it with the tongs and doused it into a large trough full of water beside the forge. A wave of steam hissed form the hot metal and rapidly cooled it. Out of the trough it came and Liz set the helmet on a table next to the trough.

In five minutes she would once again place it into the forge to reheat it before she finishes hammering it into shape. Her bell clanged loudly and she went to see who it was now. An average sized man stood before her with shockingly yellow hair. He was wearing bright yellow clothing and he grinned brightly at her when she walked into the store.

She grabbed the rag hanging on the wall and wiped her brow clean and smiled at the man. "Hello, welcome to Heart Forged, I am Lisbeth how may I help you?" The man accessed his menu and materialized his sword onto the counter. It was a huge fearsome iron greatsword with a custom guard and pommel. The problem with the blade is that it's been shattered into eight pieces.

"As you can see, young maiden. My fearsome blade ran afoul of a rhinoceros's horn the previous day. I wish for ‹‹Narsil›› to be re-forged." Liz sighed.

'Narsil… Honestly he had to shatter it to, this guy takes roleplaying seriously. Alright time to break this guy's heart.' Liz smiled brightly and made eye contact.

"I regret to inform you that your sword if beyond repair. Maybe at a higher rank of blacksmith I would be capable of fixing it but at the moment I am sorry but I can't re-forge it into Andúril." His smile instantly dropped and he glared at her.

"Ha ha, well thanks a lot for nothing than." She stomped out of the shop and Liz was just glad he didn't make more of a scene. More customers were pouring into the shop now. She needed to get back to the cabasset but her store front was filling up as well.

'I should really look into hiring an assistant.'

**-[S]-[A]-[O]-**

_Asuna  
Aincrad Plain, Northern Barn_

Walking towards the red barn Asuna could feel the frost hardened grass crunch beneath her feet. The barn was squat and rundown. Wood was missing in several places and the steep roof looked like it might fall soon.

Her breath misted through the morning air as she cheerily greeted the stable boys wandering every which way. Before stepping in through the door she glanced towards the towering Rhewi mountain range. A great bank of gray clouds rolled across the northern horizon and was slowly swallowing the pale sky.

Two stable hands were stocking hay in an adjacent shed and Asuna overhead one say how he expects it'll snow soon. The driver on the hay wagon nodded his agreement and told the boys to hurry up, the old man had no wish to be out later in the snow.

When she turned back around to enter the barn a familiar head of black hair caught her eye. The long ponytail was soon yanked as Asuna reached her best friend. "Hey Pel! You beat me out here again," She said. Pel turned and Asuna looked at her classic Japanese features and smiled innocently when she saw the glare on Pel's face.

"Damnit Asuna! Stop pulling on my ponytail. Shit hurts ya know?" A giggle and a smirk were all Pel got in reply. Asuna walked passed her short friend and over to her horses stall. Pel strode up to the adjacent stall and they both called for a groom to kit up their mounts for the day.

"What did'ja have for breakfast Pel?" Asuna chirped.

"Some shitty gruel from an inn. I only paid half the cost since it was so awful tasting. I'm adding the ‹‹Fiery Wheat Inn›› to the list." Pel replied.

"Oh ho! The Fiery Wheat is my favorite place to stay. The rooms are half price compared to most others in the third tier. And the waitress is a real cutie. It's an even better place now that I know I won't run into you there ever again." An older man said as he wandered into the barn.

"Fuck off Bachel. Why are you always the next one here in the mornings? Asuna shouldn't have to deal with you till the last moment." Pel shot back to the man. He walked over to the stall on Asuna's other side. He motioned a standing groom and the NPC jumped to fulfill his task.

Asuna did her best to ignore her lieutenants' argument and instead started equipping her armor. The two of them were always barking back and forth at one another like dogs chained just out of reach. Her gleaming breast plate fitted snugly over her woolen sweater and her leather padding. Iron greaves, vambraces, gauntlets and a skirt of plated mail finished her get up. A tall conical helmet was clutched in her armpit.

"No iron boots again! Asuna, Asuna, Asuna. Why do you never wear armored footwear? Those leather boots might be right comfy but they sure aren't gonna stop someone from chopping your foot clean off," said Bachel. She turned her head and pointed her nose away. They had discussed this every day the past month.

Asuna's had stopped answering since she had decided to ignore him whenever he brought it up. 'It's just too damn cold for iron boots,' she thought.

15 minutes later the barn was filling up with her guild members and her steed ‹‹Yuuki›› was fully saddled and packed. Yuuki was a white courser dappled with several black spots on her hindquarters. Her mane was cropped short and tied with ribbons. The groom had even woven several flowers into it as instructed. Asuna mounted Yuuki and rode through the barn, Pel and Bachel walked their mounts over and the three of them started chatting with the surrounding guild members.

"It's recruitment day fellas, get your armor nice and shiny. Get your grooms' brushing the tails out and don't forget to check the saddles on the right way 'round. These grooms are dumb as rocks sometimes and put 'em on backwards," Bachel's deep voice resonated through the barn and a round of snorts and chuckles answered him back.

"Check your own saddle Bach, looks to be sideways from here," said ‹‹Lockraoch››. A tall, thin, beady eyed teen. His hair was dyed straw yellow and he was one of two people still alive under Pel's command.

"You best take check your own horse Roach, oh wait ya can't even ride him this morning can ya. Whatsit? Three strikes and you're out?" Bachel shot back. A sour look crossed Roach's face and he turned back to his stall ignoring the people laughing around him. Only his stall was empty. Every event Roach's horse was killed and somehow he managed to scuttle his way out of the melee without dying. So he still had to wait the rest of the day before his horse would respawn.

Half an hour later the entire guild was in the barn and ready to go. "Roach, Lemor, Sandles, Titan you four got barn duty today. Anyone comes wandering in and buys a horse you best make them think hard 'bout joining the guild. You know the drill, take a taxi and spread out, one to a barn. Everyone else mount up already!" Bachel rattled off his spiel and turned to see Asuna smiling, while Pel absently ate an apple.

As the guild of twenty prepared to leave Asuna rode to the center of the doorway and looked towards her members. Her smile vanished and everyone quieted down to listen. "Hey guys. We have done a lot in the last month, and yesterday really showcased how much we have improved. Despite that we lost a lot of people yesterday. So make sure you only recruit people who are aware of how dangerous this is. And please, at 6:00pm meet at the ‹‹South Barn››. Bring anyone you recruited and remember to tell them we will be leaving at 8:00am tomorrow morning if they can't come tonight. Alright everyone, do your best today," Asuna spoke quietly.

They were all aware of how dangerous this guild was. The losses they've suffered each event didn't allow anyone to think otherwise. But yet, here they were ready to follow a teenage girl into another month of training and then they will be willing to charge into the maw of death once again when she asks them to.

No one spoke, but everyone nodded to Asuna's words. Silently the guild split off into pairs and cantered back towards Aincrad to ride around the streets all day and try to get new recruits. Since only a single skirmisher still had their horse Pel teamed with them while Bachel tagged along with Asuna.

Out of the barn they came, gleaming armor plates, clinking chain mail, tall lances adorned with banners. Everyone wore a shiny helmet adorned with plumes of feather and hair. The horses were brushed clean and their saddles polished. Freshly shod hooves clinked against the road's flagstone. As if on parade the group marched towards the city in a double column.


End file.
